


Like Dreaming of Angels

by MemesDreamsAndBeans



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Major character death - Freeform, Modern technology is confusing, Nicole just wants to play with her cats, Some angst, Violence, Waverly just wants a damn sandwich, angel!Nicole, but not for long, major angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-03
Updated: 2018-06-19
Packaged: 2018-12-23 04:55:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11982600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MemesDreamsAndBeans/pseuds/MemesDreamsAndBeans
Summary: Waverly wants a moment alone to enjoy some lunch and some good music. What she gets is a confused, grumpy angel. Really, what did she expect?





	1. Damn Bell Peppers

**Author's Note:**

> Ayyyyyyyyyyy. So I know what ya'll are thinking. You're thinking "Madeleine, are you okay? This seems weird, even for you." The answer is no. I am not okay. I wrote this at three am and I start school on Wednesday. Also, none of you are actually thinking that. 1, none of you would have any reason to know my name. 2, you're probably actually like "shut up and just let me read the damn fic." I appreciate the firmness. Go after what you want. I'm proud. Anyway, this is based off of a prompt I found on Instagram that is apparently from tumblr, but I can't find it anywhere. Prompt is "When putting your favorite condiment on a sandwich, you accidentally make a magical occult symbol and summon a demon." I changed it to angel bc Nicole ain't no demon. Thanks for taking the time to read. Also, you know my name now. Use it wisely.

Chapter One

Wynonna thinks that it’s absolutely disgusting, but Waverly ignores her. She’s a grown woman, and if she wants to have an avocado and cucumber sandwich, she will. 

Her sister is out with Dolls, doing… whatever it is they do when they disappear together. So, Waverly has music playing as she peels cucumbers and waits for her bread to toast. She quietly sings along to the music, slicing her cucumbers up.

The toast pops up and Waverly grabs it, beginning to assemble her sandwich. She spreads the avocado evenly over a piece of toast and layers the cucumbers on top. She adds some red bell pepper, absentmindedly laying it in a pattern.

As she does it, something starts to feel… off. Waverly doesn't know why, but she gets an odd feeling, and when your life is full of demons and other supernatural creepy-crawlies, you learn to listen to your gut. She slowly reaches out and grabs a butter knife, gripping it tightly.

She turns slowly and promptly shrieks when she sees the tall, faintly glowing redhead who is now standing in the middle of her kitchen.

Waverly tightens her grip on the knife and points it towards the woman, trying her best to look fierce and not completely freaked out. “I don't know what kind of supernatural asshole you are, but you better get the hell outta my kitchen!”

The woman looks confused, tilting her head to one side. The glow subsides and she’s left looking like a normal human. “Um, what? I don't even know why I'm here right now.”

Waverly advances a step, clenching her jaw. The taller woman takes a step back, holding her hands up. “I just want one day of peace. One day where I can have a damn sandwich without dealing with some kind of demon!”

The woman’s look morphs from confusion to offense. “Hey! I'm an angel, for your information. And I didn't exactly choose to pop in! You must've called me somehow.”

Waverly’s eyes narrow, no less suspicious. “I'm just supposed to believe that you're an angel? How do I know that you're not lying?”

The woman lets her hands fall in annoyance. “Lord give me strength,” she mumbles. “Look, I'm sorry for interrupting your sandwich-ing. Maybe my symbol is somewhere on the property and it just called to me.”

“And what exactly does your symbol look like?” Waverly asks. She knows from her research that it’s common for supernatural creatures to have symbols, and she recognizes quite a lot of them.

The redhead groans, taking a pen from the breast pocket of her button-up. She covers the kitchen in two long strides, plucking a napkin from the counter. Waverly keeps pointing the knife at her, slowly following her movements.

The woman carefully draws a design on the napkin before turning and holding it out to Waverly. “Here you go. There’s my symbol. Also- do me a favor and quit pointing that knife at me.”

Waverly sets the knife down on the counter, deciding that maybe this woman won't attack her at the first opportunity.

She takes the napkin, studying the design. She doesn't remember seeing this specific symbol before, but it’s similar to other angelic symbols that she has seen.

“Okay. So you're an angel. That doesn't really explain why you're here, though.” Waverly distractedly folds the napkin, letting her shoulders relax from their defensive position.

“Like I said, I don't really know either. My symbol might be somewhere, in a book or something. I just kind of appeared in here.”

Waverly nods slightly, finally taking in the woman fully. She’s wearing a blue button-up with little white dots on it, along with a simple pair of blue jeans. She has red sneakers on, which makes a tiny smile form on Waverly’s lips. “My name is Waverly. You're dressed pretty informally for an angel.”

“We don't actually wear freakin’ togas all the time or whatever,” she mutters, adjusting her rolled up sleeve. “My name is Nicole.”

“You want a sandwich?”

“What?”

“Do you want a sandwich?” Waverly repeats, gesturing towards the ingredients on the counter. “I could make you a sandwich. Take it as an apology for brandishing a knife at you.”

Nicole shrugs. “Yeah, sure. No hard feelings about the whole knife thing, by the way. You were startled.”

She walks past Waverly to inspect the sandwich on the counter. “So what kind- hey, that’s my symbol!”

Waverly follows Nicole’s gaze, which is fixed onto the sandwich. “What? Where’s your symbol and what does my lunch have to do with it?”

“You made my symbol with bell peppers. You summoned me with freakin’ bell peppers, Waverly.” Nicole looks slightly grumpy as she points between the sandwich and Waverly.

Waverly tries, but she just can't hold back a giggle. “I thought angels were supposed to be all happy and pure.”

Nicole crosses her arms over her chest. “I am all happy and pure most of the time, but I was pulled away from what I was doing because you made my symbol with bell peppers and then tried to stab me! And you accused me of being a demon.”

“Sorry, sorry! What were you doing that I pulled you away from?”

Nicole’s face grows red and she looks away, clearing her throat. Well, Waverly thinks, angels can get embarrassed. Good to know. 

“I, uh… Important angel business. You wouldn't understand.” Waverly stares at her, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, fine! I was playing with the kittens.”

“You were… playing with kittens?”

“Yes. Look, kittens always go to heaven. So do puppies, and most adult dogs. And they get lonely, okay? And so do I, so like to spend time with the kittens.”

Waverly laughs, which only makes the offended look return to Nicole’s face. “Go sit down, silly. Your sandwich will be ready in a minute. Do you want your bread toasted?”

Nicole shrugs, then nods. She sits at the table, her arms crossed as she does. Waverly turns back to the counter, popping a couple more pieces of bread into the toaster. 

She finishes her own sandwich and makes one for Nicole. She grabs two plates from the cupboard and sets the sandwiches on them.

She turns back to the redhead, who is intrigued by Waverly’s cellphone, which is sitting on the table.

“Do you want some beet chips?”

“Huh?” Nicole looks up, her forehead creased in confusion.

“Okay, you're trying the beet chips,” Waverly says, putting a handful of them on each plate. “I get them from a health food store in the big city.”

Waverly makes her way over to the table, setting a plate in front of Nicole. She sits across from the woman, who sighs loudly.

“Wow, things have changed a lot from when I was alive. What is this… thing, and why is it making noise?”

“It's a cellphone, Nicole. Um, it's like a computer that you can hold in your hand,” she says, trying her best to explain it. She’s met with a blank look.

“Com… computer?” Nicole asks slowly, poking the phone screen with her index finger. It doesn't do anything.

“Wow, really? You don't know what a computer is?”

“I don't get out much and I've been dead for a long time,” Nicole mutters. “Pretty sure the most recent thing I really know about is this type of clothing. And the telephone. That’s pretty neat.” She tugs at her collar.

“Okay, wow. You see that little button at the bottom? The round thing.” Nicole nods, squinting suspiciously at the cellphone. “Okay, press that.”

Nicole hesitantly brings her finger to the home button and pushes it. She jumps slightly when it lights up. 

Waverly grins, watching Nicole as she pokes at the screen. The only thing she accomplishes is pausing the music.

“Nicole, if you press the bottom button again it’ll let you unlock it.” Nicole presses it again, bringing up the enter passcode screen. “Okay, then touch the screen where it says zero. Good, then nine, then zero again, then eight.”

Nicole slowly presses each number in order, unlocking the phone. She looks up at Waverly, her eyes wide.

“What does it do?” She asks. Waverly smiles again. She can't help but be charmed by this woman.

“Well, you can talk to people. It works like a telephone, but you can also send written messages. It's like sending a letter, but it happens instantly.”

“Neat,” Nicole mumbles, picking the phone up. She tilts it around, inspecting it. “It's so small, though. How does it do all of that?”

“I'm afraid that might be a little bit too complicated for you to understand. Eat your sandwich, now.”

“Oh, thank you,” Nicole says as she picks the sandwich up. Waverly smiles in response. They eat quietly, the only sound in the kitchen being the music that Waverly had unpaused.

They both finish their lunch, and Nicole’s eyes dart around her unfamiliar surroundings.

“You and Doc would probably get along,” Waverly says after a moment. “He’s kind of immortal. He was born in 1851, so he doesn't get a lot of this stuff either.”

“Oh. I was born in 1849. Got him beat by a few years. How exactly is he kind of immortal?”

“He made a deal with a witch.” Nicole makes a disapproving noise, crossing her arms. “Which… might not be favorable to a literal angel?”

“Yeah. Not really. So… thanks for the sandwich. It might be surprising, but the food in heaven gets boring. I guess I don't really even need to eat, but it was nice.”

“You're welcome. Do you have to go?”

“I probably should. It was nice to meet you, Waverly.”

“Yeah, it was nice to meet you too.” They both stand up. Nicole stretches her arms above her head, sighing quietly. “You know, you can stop by any time. Have some lunch. Get away from heaven and its boring food for a while.”

Nicole smiles, her dimples making an appearance. “I might just take you up on that offer. Try not to summon me with vegetables again, though.”

Waverly chuckles, watching as the faint glow returns to Nicole’s skin. She tries to ignore how pretty her red hair looks with the light shining off of it.

“I'll try my best. See you around?”

“See you around,” Nicole confirms, just before disappearing with a quick flash of white light.

Waverly stands in the middle of the kitchen for a few long moments, smiling slightly. She looks forward to the possibility of seeing that awkward, cat-loving angel again.


	2. Get Your Beast Away From Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the family!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyyy me and what I'm affectionately calling the trash au are back :). So I'm not sure how exactly I feel about this chapter but I am SO BLOWN AWAY at the response I got on chapter one. Like,,,,,, apparently y'all like it. I start school tomorrow (actually I'm super excited) so updates on all of my fics will probably slow down a bit. And now the chapter, ladies, gentlemen, sexy little lizards

Chapter Two

The next time Nicole pops into the Homestead, it’s early. Waverly didn't summon her this time, in fact, she was just mixing pancake batter.

Nicole appears behind her again, but she doesn't hesitate to walk up to the counter and look over Waverly’s shoulder to see what she’s doing.

“Good morning. I didn't know if you would be awake or not, just thought I would drop by. Sleep is also something I kinda don't need to do.”

Waverly leans her whisk against the side of the bowl and turns around, offering Nicole a smile. It’s only been a few days since she first met the angel, but she found herself missing her company.

“I usually get up pretty early. So can you sleep? Even though you don't actually need to.” She watches as that faint, pretty glows fades away from Nicole’s pale skin.

“Yeah, I can. It’s just like eating. I don't need to, but it’s pleasant all the same. I guess it makes me feel a little bit more human. Which is… hard to remember. I've been dead for 141 years, after all.”

She sighs softly, shrugging her shoulders. Waverly quickly does the math, remembering the year that Nicole said she was born. “So you died when you were 27. What happened?”

Nicole opens her mouth as if to answer, but her eyebrows pull together and she purses her lips together. She closes her eyes for a moment, pressing her fingers to her temples. “I don’t… I don't remember. Ugh, I feel like that should be something I should remember.”

Waverly puts a soothing hand on Nicole’s forearm, rubbing small circles with her thumb. “Hey, hey, it's okay. It's been a really long time, yeah? Maybe you don't want to remember.”

“Maybe,” Nicole mumbles, pulling her hands away from her temples. She stares down at the kitchen tiles, still looking incredibly confused.

“I'm sorry for bringing it up, Nicole,” Waverly says, still rubbing the angel’s arm. “Go sit and I’ll make you some pancakes, okay? They're peanut butter and chocolate chip.”

She nods, pulling away from Waverly to walk the short distance to the table. She pulls a chair out and sits, crossing her legs.

Waverly turns back to the counter, pouring a good amount of chocolate chips into the batter. 

It doesn't take her long to cook the pancakes, even though she has a veritable mountain of them. Wynonna, whenever she wakes up, is likely to demolish half the stack. Waverly deposits the pancake plate on the table before grabbing two more plates, napkins, and forks.

She sets one set down in front of Nicole, hurrying away again to grab the syrup. “Help yourself, Nicole. Have as many as you want. Want something to drink? We have coffee, tea, milk, orange juice…”

“Uh, milk would be fantastic. Thank you,” Nicole says as she grabs a few pancakes. They're incredibly fluffy and they taste like heaven… Well, better than heaven.

Waverly pours Nicole a glass of milk and a mug of coffee for herself. She returns to the table, sitting across from Nicole. She sets the redhead’s glass down next to her plate. 

“Thanks, Waverly,” Nicole mumbles through another bite of pancake. “‘S good. Really good.”

Waverly beams, taking a few pancakes for herself. Nicole wipes her lips with the napkin, which draws Waverly’s eyes to them. Nicole is incredibly attractive. Actually, that’s an understatement. She’s probably the most attractive person Waverly has ever laid her eyes on.

“Lotta pancakes for just us. Does someone live here with you?” Nicole asks, running the tip of her index finger along the rim of her glass.

Waverly tracks the movement with her eyes, forgetting to respond for a moment. She only looks up at Nicole’s smirking face once her finger stops moving.

“Oh, um, yeah. My big sister Wynonna. She usually sleeps until noon, though. Has the appetite of a starving horse. Sometimes Doc drops by for breakfast, too. And Dolls.”

“Dolls?”

“Deputy Marshall Xavier Dolls. We- Wynonna and I, and Doc, work with him.”

“Deputy Marshall, huh? What exactly is it that you do?”

“Well, I'm an Earp. Like Wyatt Earp, the lawman. He was cursed, so when the Earp heir turns 27, the 77 outlaws he killed with his gun Peacemaker resurrect from hell. The heir- that’d be Wynonna- has to put all 77 demons down for the curse to be broken.”

Nicole looks completely dumbfounded. “Wow. You hunt demons? That's so incredibly dangerous, Waverly.”

Waverly smiles at the concern evident in the angel’s expression. “I’m kind of the research guy. Besides, the Homestead is built on a mineral that repels Revenants. We’re safe here.”

Nicole shakes her head. “From these Revenants, maybe. But humans and other creatures can get onto this land. Waverly, you're not safe.”

“Wynonna has Peacemaker and I have my good ‘ol shotgun. We’ll be okay. And even if we’re not, we're Earps. We’re pretty tough.”

Nicole reaches out and captures one of Waverly’s hands in both of hers. She stares at Waverly with wide eyes, her expression serious.

“I can help. Protect this land further. I could put runes, or- or charms or something down. Help repel the supernatural.”

“Nic, you're supernatural.” Waverly shakes her head slightly. Nicole just looks so worried and intense, squeezing her hand gently but urgently.

“Yeah, they won't work on me. They'll work on bad supernatural forces. Demons, things that only want to hurt you. Let me help, Waverly.”

She doesn't understand Nicole’s insistence, why she’s so adamant about protective Waverly, but she relents. “Okay, Nicole. You can help.”

Nicole relaxes slightly, but keeps Waverly’s hand held in her own. “Thank you. Thank you so much, Waverly.”

“We’ll have to talk to Wynonna about it, first. She’d need to know, and the choice ultimately comes down to her.”

“You are the first person to talk to me- really talk to me and listen to me, in almost a century and a half. I don't want that to go away. I can't let you get hurt, not if I can help prevent it.”

She doesn't say what she’s really thinking, but she’s pretty sure that Waverly understands. I'm so lonely, Waverly. I'm so lonely and you make me feel less lonely. 

“I’ll talk to Nonna about it as soon as she wakes up, okay?”

Nicole nods, releasing Waverly’s hand. “Okay,” she whispers, seeming satisfied with Waverly’s assurance. 

They sit in a silence that feels semi-awkward to Nicole. She worries that she came off a bit too intensely and Waverly thinks that she’s a freak now.

Until Waverly clears her throat and meets Nicole’s eyes once more. “I could do some research for you?”

“What?” Nicole asks. She glances back down at Waverly’s hand, still resting partway across the table. She would like nothing more than to touch Waverly again- her hand felt warm and soft and touching other people is another thing that Nicole doesn't do very often. It had been nice.

“You know, look into your past. Help you remember things about your life. I mean, there’s no guarantee that I would even find anything, but I could try.”

Nicole smiles, her dimples showing. “Yeah. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like that.”

Waverly tuts, rolling her eyes. “Nicole, it's no trouble at all. You are offering to pretty much demon-proof our land.”

“I guess so,” Nicole says, shrugging.

“I just need some basic details. Your full name, your parents name, when and where you were born.”

Nicole seemingly summons a pen from thin air. Which, actually, wouldn't be too surprising if she actually did. Angel powers and all that.

Waverly find her a piece of scrap paper and Nicole writes the information that Waverly asks for. She clicks the pen and drops it when Waverly says she doesn't have any more questions. It falls towards the table but disappears the second before it would've hit.

“Nice trick,” Waverly says, sliding the scrap of paper over to her side of the table. She quickly reads through everything, nodding in approval. “Do you show it to all of the pretty girls you vow to protect, Nicole Haught?”

Nicole grins, shaking her head slowly. “No, you're pretty special, Waverly Earp. Certainly the only girl who’s ever brandished a knife at me after calling me with a vegetable.”

“You're never gonna let me forget that, are you?”

“Nope,” Nicole replies, popping the p. “But, hey, I assure you that you're the prettiest girl I've talked to in a long while.”

“I'm flattered, Ms. Haught.” Waverly watches as Nicole stands from the table, stretching her arms over her head much like she did the last time she was here.

“You should be flattered. I should probably get going, there are a couple of new kittens and I wanna check in on them. Make sure they're settling alright and not getting into fights with the other kitties.”

“Okay. See you soon?”

“Yes. Talk to your sister. Thank you for the pancakes, Waverly. They were delightful.” Waverly smiles and waves to Nicole as the glow first appears then grows stronger. She disappears in a quick flash of light, leaving behind the faint but pretty smell of vanilla.

—

“Smells like doughnuts. Baby girl, did you get doughnuts?” Wynonna asks, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she slumps into the kitchen.

“No donuts. Just pancakes and black coffee,” Waverly says, smiling at her big sister from her spot at the sink. “Advil is next to the mug.”

“Bless you, you little tiny angel,” Wynonna groans, taking the pills gratefully. She washes the painkillers down with roughly half of the coffee. 

“Speaking of angels…” Waverly begins. She dries her hands and sits across from Wynonna, who doesn't pause in her mission to eat the most pancakes possible. “I kind of know one.”

Wynonna briefly looks up, her expression blank. “Is that some sort of new nickname for Champ the chump? ‘Cause I thought you were done with that joker.”

“Ew, no. I have been done with him, for almost half a year now, Wyn. No, I'm talking about an actual angel. Real deal, lives in heaven and everything.”

“I thought I was supposed to be the crazy one.”

Waverly sighs, trying not to get frustrated. “I summoned her. It was an accident, really, I was just making lunch and I accidentally made her symbol out of bell peppers.”

“Are you okay? Does Doc need to have a look at your head?”

“No, Wynonna, please just listen. I'm not lying or playing some sort of prank on you, okay? I'm being completely serious. She’s an angel, her name is Nicole Haught, and she said that she can help make the Homestead safer. She can demon-proof it more than just the ammolite.”

“So you made an angel friend and she wants to protect the Homestead. Waves, how are you sure that she’s not some sort of demon and she’s trying to pull a Bobo? You know, the talisman…”

“I just… Wynonna, please. I feel like we can trust Nicole. Here, I'll call Nicole here and you can meet her for yourself. Please?”

Wynonna sighs heavily, making some vague gesture with her hand. “Yeah. Fine. Call her here.”

Waverly finds a pen (sadly, she can't make them appear out of nowhere) and draws Nicole’s symbol on the paper she had been writing on earlier. Waverly isn't exactly sure how the summoning works- if Nicole comes every time her symbol is present or not- but she figures it's her best shot.

And it works. She appears just in front of the table, a tiny black kitten cradled in her arms. She looks up, taking in the smiling face of Waverly and the suspicious, closed off expression on the other woman’s face. She assumes this must be Wynonna. 

“Hi,” Nicole says, gingerly setting the kitten down on the table. “What can I do for you?”

Wynonna glances at the kitten, who has wobbled her way over to Waverly, then back at the smiling redhead.

“Wynonna Earp. I've been told that you're an angel?” She preemptively gets a good grip on Peacemaker under the table, ready to draw and shoot at a moment’s notice.

“Yes ma’am. Nicole Haught, at your service.” She holds a hand out, waiting for Wynonna to shake. She just stares at the woman’s hand for a long moment. Nicole lets it drop to her side, shifting uncomfortably.

“You got any way to prove that you're an angel?”

“Probably not in any way that would make you believe me. Except for that fancy gun of yours. Point it at me, please.”

“Nicole-“ Waverly begins, looking up from the kitten on the table. “You don't need to do that.”

“Relax, Waverly. It won't even work on me. Watch,” she says, gesturing to Wynonna. She draws Peacemaker- although she hesitates a bit. Usually creatures don't outright tell Wynonna to try to shoot them.

She points the gun directly at Nicole’s forehead and pulls the trigger. Nothing. No orange glow, no bullet, nothing. In fact, Peacemaker seems to grow colder and Wynonna feels a pressing urge to lower the gun away from Nicole.

“‘Kay. So Peacemaker likes you.” Nicole grins as she pulls a chair out to sit at the table. Her kitten meows- it’s little more than a squeak, and it’s the cutest thing Waverly has ever heard- and she runs across the table to Nicole. She scoops the cat up, petting it distractedly.

“So, I hope you can believe me. I'm no threat to you, Wynonna.”

“Waves said that you can help keep the Homestead safe.”

“I can. I understand that the Revenants can't come on your land. But other supernatural forces can, and I’d imagine that there's a lot of creatures that have it out for you two. But I can help. Charms, runes, whatever. Keep other things away from here. It’s not that hard, actually.”

“Why, though? Don't you have Jesus-y shit to attend to?”

Nicole shrugs. “Not really. Look, I don't really have any friends. All I do is take care of cats. But then Waverly was so nice to me, and I feel like I owe her this.”

“You don't owe me anything, Nicole,” Waverly says, placing her hand on Nicole’s arm. Nicole smiles at her, shaking her head slightly.

“Yeah, I do. Hey, it at least gives me something to do with my time. Not that the cats aren't great, because they are.” Nicole looks down almost apologetically at the snoozing black kitten in her arms.

Wynonna’s eyes dart between the angel and her baby sister, utterly confused at the soft looks they give each other. “By the way, why did one of your little pets make the trip with you?”

Nicole looks back at Wynonna, then down at her cat. “Oh, I was holding Tulip when Waverly called me here. I guess if I'm holding something it comes down with me.”

“You named the cat Tulip? Red, it's pure black.”

Nicole shrugs, placing Tulip back down on the table. She gently nudges the kitten towards Wynonna, who narrows her eyes.

They narrow further the closer the kitten gets. “Red, get your beast away from me. Oh my god, it's making noises now.”

“It's called meowing, Wynonna,” Waverly says, rolling her eyes. “She wants you to pick her up.”

“It's a beast. I'm not picking the beast up.”

“She weighs two pounds. Pick the damn cat up.” Wynonna groans loudly, picking Tulip up in an overly slow, cautious manner.

Tulip starts to purr right away and she burrows closer to Wynonna, who grimaces. “Beast,” she whispers.

“You act like you've never seen a cat before,” Nicole huffs. “She likes you. Relax, Earp.”

Waverly and Nicole had moved on- Waverly was explaining airplanes to the redhead. Wynonna had eventually relaxed and now she’s holding the tiny cat close, stroking her soft fur.

“That's really neat,” Nicole says, trying to picture a giant metal bird flying with people inside of it. “And these airplanes can take you anywhere?”

“Almost anywhere, yeah. I've never actually been in one myself.”

“Huh. Sure is strange,” Nicole says. The world seems to have changed so drastically and Nicole almost can't believe that she didn't notice it.

Wynonna’s phone rings, the country song that she’d set as her ringtone suddenly blaring. Nicole jumps at the noise and so does the kitten. Tulip practically leaps out of Wynonna’s arms to run to Nicole.

“Shit, shit, sorry RedHaught. Just my phone,” Wynonna says, grimacing at the flighty, terrified look in Nicole’s eyes. “It's, uh, it’s Dolls. I'm just gonna go take this.”

Wynonna strides out of the kitchen, answering the call. They can hear a faint “What up, Cabbage Patch Dolls?” before the front door bangs shut.

“Are you okay, Nicole?” Waverly asks quietly, reaching out to take one of Nicole’s hands.

Nicole nods. “Yeah, I’m so sorry. That just startled me.”

“You're okay, don't worry about it.” Waverly smiles encouragingly, running her fingers gently across the back of Nicole’s hand.

Nicole is about to say something as the front door opens again and Wynonna appears in the kitchen. “Waves, we got ourselves a situation.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is. As always, PLEASE PLEASE leave comments or kudos. They let me know if I'm doing something right or not, and comments are fantastic motivation. Seriously, the more comments I get, the more I want to write, which means more content for you guys. (I also totally wouldn't be opposed if someone wanted to draw some fanart inspired by any of my stories.... wink wink)  
> Again, thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed


	3. The Grumpiest Goddamn Angel in All of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A fight and a confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, look who's back! Two updates in two days? I know! This story is like, redicuously easy to write. It just seems to flow. And hey, school today was pretty awesome. Quick warning, there is canon typical violence in this chapter. If that's not your thing, I apologize. You could skip the first part of the chapter and continue reading after the -- mark, if you need. Although I'm sure it's written horribly and it's the lamest fight scene EVER. Oh well. Thank you for reading, as always

Chapter Three

“Of course we do. What's going on, Nonna?”

“Um, Doc is kinda stuck in the grocery store. With a ton of Revenants.” Waverly pushes herself up from the table, groaning as she grabs her jacket from the back of the chair.

“Of course he is. Can we go one day without one of us getting in some sort of life threatening situation?” Waverly grabs her shotgun from it’s leaning position against the wall. 

Wynonna laughs dryly. “Hell no, baby girl. Red, you coming?”

“Wait, w-what?” Nicole stutters, looking up with wide eyes. 

“Come on. You get to see us in action. Leave the cat.”

Nicole pats Tulip’s head, setting her back on the table. She snaps her fingers, causing a bowl of food and a bowl of water to appear on the table. “You be a good girl. I'll be back soon,” Nicole murmurs, standing from the table. 

Wynonna stares at her, a look of confused awe on her face. “You can make shit appear out of nowhere? Fucking awesome!”

“We can freak out about how awesome Nic is later, we need to save the other 160 year old asshole we know.”

Nicole makes a jacket appear as the three women push outside. She shrugs it on, raising one eyebrow at Waverly. “I feel like you just called me an asshole.”

“Sorry!” Waverly winces. She opens the door of Wynonna’s truck and pushes Nicole towards it. “Get in.”

Nicole awkwardly climbs in, staring in confusion at the interior of the truck. Waverly slides in beside her and Wynonna is stepping on the gas before the door is even fully shut.

Nicole lurches forward, cursing. “Shit, Wynonna! Are you trying to kill me again?”

Waverly grabs the back of Nicole’s jacket, yanking her back. She reaches over and grabs the seatbelt, buckling Nicole in. 

“We’ll get you a booster seat, Red. Sorry ‘bout that.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Nicole says. She has to sit with her knees awkwardly pulled up towards her chest. 

“Don't worry about it, Nic,” Waverly says, patting her shoulder.

Nicole sighs. “I can literally fly. I can fly and I'm crammed into this death trap.”

“Waverly, did you have to make friends with the grumpiest goddamn angel in all of heaven?”

They blast past the welcome to Purgatory sign, which catches Nicole’s attention. “Wait, wait. You live in a place called Purgatory? No wonder you guys are overrun with demons.”

Wynonna glares at Nicole. She shuts up for the rest of the drive. 

Wynonna screeches to a stop in front of the grocery store, barely avoiding Sheriff Nedley’s cruiser.

She jumps out, with Waverly and Nicole following. Dolls is standing with Nedley, apparently arguing with the older man.

“We can't just blast in there, Deputy Marshall! There are protocols for this sort of thing.”

Dolls rolls his eyes as the Earp girls and Nicole approach. “Earp, we think that there are six- hey, who are you?”

Dolls narrows his eyes at Nicole, who smiles that charming, dimpled smile. 

“Nicole Haught. She’s not a threat. We… we’ll explain it later, Dolls. It’s kind of a long story,” Waverly says, making a vague gesture with her hand. 

Dolls seems no less suspicious, but whatever he was about to say is interrupted by the sudden loud sounds of gunfire.

He spins around and approaches the store, ignoring Nedley’s shouts of disapproval. Wynonna and Waverly follow behind him. Wynonna draws Peacemaker while Waverly swings her shotgun up to her shoulder.

Nicole trails behind, feeling somewhat useless due to her lack of a weapon. Unless…

A sword appears in her hand, the blade seeming alive with blue flames. “That is so cool,” she mutters, grinning to herself. 

“What was that, Nic?” Waverly asks, turning to look at Nicole. “Woah. Where did that come from?”

“I dunno, I just thought I need something to fight with, and this appeared. Pretty cool, huh?”

“Get ready. We’re going in and getting Doc. Try not to die. Or… whatever would happen to you, Red.”

Dolls shoots Wynonna a look, her comment to Nicole only furthering his suspicions. He shakes his head quickly, raising his gun as he pushes the door to the store open.

There’s a body facedown on the floor- human, by the looks of the red pool of blood under him.

A group of frightened shoppers huddle behind a counter. Dolls waves them to the door, continuing to sweep thorough the store.

They find Doc and the Revenants in the liquor aisle, which actually isn't very surprising. Doc has his revolvers drawn and pointed at the Revenants, who also have their guns draw. Two of the six are already on the floor, but Wynonna knows they won't stay down.

“Momma’s home, boys. I think you need a time out,” Wynonna all but growls, leveling Peacemaker at one of the Revenants.

“Why, Ms. Earp, it has taken you long enough. I was beginning to think that you had forgotten all about me.”

“You're not that easy to forget, Doc,” Wynonna chuckles, pulling Peacemaker’s trigger. One demon down, five to go.

Gunfire breaks out again, mostly trained on Wynonna. She grabs a display and tips it over on her side, ducking behind it. Wine bottles shatter as they hit the tile floor, splashing liquid all over the floor.

Waverly shoots her shotgun, catching one of the Revenants in the chest and sending him flying.

Nicole hears footsteps from behind them, and she whirls around, seeing another one of the demons running towards them, a knife poised to throw.

She springs into action, running to meet the demon. He throws the knife but Nicole bats it away with her sword, sending it flying into a shelf.

Once she’s close enough, she grabs his shoulder and drives her sword through his chest. The flames catch on his clothes as Nicole shoves him off.

He sinks to the floor, clawing at his flaming shirt. Nicole hears a shout from Doc behind her and she whirls around to find him clutching at his shoulder, his revolvers dropped on the floor. 

“Sons a bitches!” He shouts, pulling his hand away from his shoulder. It’s pouring blood and the demon who shot him is laughing triumphantly, stalking closer to Doc.

Wynonna and Dolls are back to back, trying to hold off the two Revenants that had risen from the floor. Waverly is shooting at another one, who is ducking behind a display much like Wynonna had done. The one she had shot earlier was still on the floor, although he looked like he was about to get back up.

Another Revenant is charging at Waverly from the side, looking something like a football player about to tackle. Nicole focuses on that one, managing to push Waverly out of the way.

The demon tackles her instead, sending them both to the floor. She drops her sword, the impact knocking the air out of her lungs.

The demon grins down at her, his teeth yellow and his eyes red. “Well, well, ain't you a pretty one? I don't think I seen you around here before.”

“Two different worlds,” Nicole gasps, bringing her knee up to nail the bastard where it hurts.

“Oh, you bitch!” He growls, rolling off of her. He grabs for the sword, but the second he touches it, he recoils, screaming at the burst of agony that runs through his body.

“Ha! Take that, you demon asshole!” She scrambles to her feet, snatching her sword up. She stabs through his chest like she did with the other demon, leaving him to burn.

Wynonna has put down two more of them and Doc is wresting with the one who shot him. Dolls grabs the demon’s shoulders, hauling him off of Doc. He slams his fist into the demon’s face, sending him reeling back.

Wynonna shoots a fourth demon, sending him down. Dolls shoves the Revenant he had punched towards Wynonna, who shoots him between the eyes. 

The two left are the ones that Nicole had taken care of. They’re still on fire, both screaming in pain and terror.

“Shit, Red, you did that? I'm impressed,” Wynonna says, shaking her head. She quickly shoots the two demons, leaving the store in an eerie silence.

Until Dolls grabs Nicole, pointing his pistol at her forehead. She sighs and rolls her eyes as he narrows his eyes at her. “What. Are. You?”

“Dolls!” Waverly cries, trying to pull him off of the angel. Wynonna is also shouting, something about “Didn't you see that? She fucking helped!”

“I'm an angel, Deputy Marshall. No threat to you, I swear.”

Doc grabs Doll’s shoulder with the hand of the arm that wasn't shot, helping Waverly pull him off of Nicole.

“Now, now, Dolls. Let the young woman go, will you?” He tips his hat at Nicole, flashing her a charming smile. “I do believe we owe you a thank you, Ms…”

“Haught. Nicole Haught.”

“Ms. Haught. You handled yourself quite well. I take it this is not your first time fighting creatures of this nature?”

“Uh, it kinda is. You see-“ Nicole begins. She’s interrupted by Sheriff Nedley and a few of his deputies bursting into the store.

The deputies sweep through the store while Nedley finds the ragtag group. “Aw, hell,” he grumbles. “You’ve made quite the mess here. Go on, get out. You've done your part, let us do ours.”

“We’ll continue this back at the Homestead,” Dolls says before turning his back and stalking out of the aisle.

“So, he’s pretty intense,” Nicole mutters.

“You could say that again, RedHaught.”

—

Nicole leans against the counter, watching as Waverly dabs ointment onto the wound on Doc’s shoulder.

Wynonna is also sitting at the table, her feet kicked up on it as she mows down a box of doughnuts.

Dolls walks into the room and over to the coffee pot, pouring himself a mug. Tulip had ran and hid somewhere in the living room as soon as the group walked in, Doc loudly complaining about his shoulder.

“So,” Dolls begins, eyeing Nicole. “Who are you and what do you want?”

Nicole sighs. One more time, then. “Nicole Haught, angel at your service. I was born in 1849, died in 1876. Been in heaven since. Look, I'm not here to hurt you guys or anything. I wanna help. I can help fight and protect you guys.”

“She has a point, Deputy Marshall. We did put down seven demons today, with the help of Ms. Haught,” Doc drawls. Waverly wraps gauze tight around his shoulder, looking pleased with her work.

“How did you get here?”

“I accidentally summoned her,” Waverly says, not looking up from Doc. She’s helping him back into his shirt.

“You can't just accidentally summon an angel, Waverly. It doesn't work like that,” Dolls says, shaking his head. He’s quiet for a moment before his eyes get wide. “Unless… you could be…”

Wynonna groans through a mouthful of powdered doughnut. “Spit it out, Dolls. Enough with the dramatic pauses.”

“You could be a guardian angel. Which would explain why Waverly was able to summon you so easily- you have a connection.”

Waverly and Nicole share a look- Waverly is grinning and Nicole seems shy, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“That’d be sweet. That whole fire sword thing? Hella cool. Imagine if you're destined to protect little baby Waverly.”

“‘Little baby Waverly’ doesn't need any protection. She seems to be able to handle herself,” Nicole says. 

“Still! You're a complete badass, Haught. I say that you stick around and become a fully fledged demon hunter.”

“I second that motion. I also say that we treat the lady to a drink,” Doc says, flashing another charming smile at Nicole.

“I wouldn't be opposed to sticking around. I also wouldn't be opposed to a drink, but, Doc… I'm just a little bit gay.”

Wynonna bursts out into laughter, sending a cloud of powdered sugar everywhere. Doc looks thoroughly embarrassed, a light blush coloring his cheeks.

“No, no, I changed my mind. Haught, you have to stay here. Waves, go get the whisky! We need to give our new resident gay a proper welcoming party.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there it is! I really hope that you enjoyed. If you did, please leave a comment or kudos. You can also hop over to my tumblr @memesdreamsandbeans for occasional sneak peeks and other weirdness. I have a couple other Wynonna Earp stories and a Clexa story if you guys are interested! Again, thank you for taking the time to read the trash au :)


	4. Against Every Single Moral Code

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family bonding time!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sup the debate season has officially started and I am in P A I N. whatever here's the chapter sorry it took like a month

Chapter Four

Waverly leaves the rest of the group in the kitchen as she makes her way into the living room. Wynonna hides the whisky- the good whisky- in a cabinet, behind a bunch of candles and decorative napkins. 

She allows herself a quick moment to have a small freak out. Okay, okay, she thinks. Is it against every single moral code to have a crush on your guardian angel? Even if said angel is super attractive and apparently gay?”

Probably. That's not going to stop Waverly, though. She grabs two of the bottles in Wynonna’s stash and walks back into the kitchen, holding them up.

“Party time!” She chirps, setting the bottles down on the counter. She reaches up into the cupboard, grabbing five glasses. She pours some of the whisky into each one, handing a glass to each member of their little group.

“To Haughtshot, who has proven to be a complete badass and a total softie at the same time. Welcome to the team,” Wynonna says, raising her glass. Doc and Waverly raise their glasses happily. Dolls rolls his eyes but raises his as well.

Wynonna and Doc drain their glasses, while Nicole takes only a small sip. Even when she was alive, she rarely drank, much less hard liquor like this. It burns as she swallows it, but it's not exactly unpleasant.

“I do wonder if an angel such as Ms. Haught can become intoxicated,” Doc drawls, motioning for Waverly to pour him more whisky. His eyes glint playfully as he watches Nicole grimace through another sip.

“Never tried,” Nicole says with a sigh. How do they manage to drink it like that? Nicole can't take the tiniest sip without wincing. 

“It's a fantastic day for an experiment,” Wynonna says with a singsongy tone. Nicole groans, but she gets the feeling that once Wynonna has made up her mind, it won't be easily changed.

Nicole manages to choke down the rest of her glass, although she glares at it in disdain. Wynonna cackles as she refills her glass.

“Miss Waverly, are you alright? You are being unusually quiet.”

Waverly jumps slightly, snapping out of the absentminded state she had been in. She totally wasn't staring at Nicole. No, of course not.

“I'm great, Doc,” she replies, smiling brightly. Nicole catches her eye and smiles at Waverly, setting her glass down on the counter.

“I'm gonna go see if I can find my cat. I'll be back soon,” Nicole says, shooting one last shy smile at Waverly. 

“Okay, okay, what's her big deal with the cats?” Wynonna asks, knocking back another glass of whisky.

“I heard that,” Nicole says, walking back into the room with Tulip sitting on her shoulder. “I just love cats. They're my friends.”

She sits down in the chair that Waverly had left, next to Doc. She reaches up and scratches behind Tulip’s ears.

“You’re a bigger dork than I thought was even possible, Haught.”

“Thank you, Wynonna. That was very nice.”

“It's time for you to loosen up. Waverly, whisky your angel.”

Waverly pats Nicole’s shoulder as she hands her a glass full of whisky. Nicole whines. She dutifully drinks it, though, wincing after every sip. 

“We’ll make a strong woman out of you yet, Red,” Wynonna sighs, watching as Nicole sets her now empty glass down. 

“It tastes like rubbing alcohol,” Nicole says, pouting. “I haven't had a thing to drink in… 139 years. You drink it like it’s water.”

Waverly interrupts, hoping to spare Nicole more teasing from Wynonna. “We have a deck of Uno cards, right?”

“Why, yes. I do believe that it is on the coffee table in the living room, Waverly.”

“Thank you, Doc,” Waverly says, disappearing back into the living room to grab the deck of cards. She returns to the room, deck in hand. “We are going to play a game.”

“I'm only interested in it if it's a drinking game,” Wynonna says, taking a swig of whisky from the bottle she had swiped. Her glass sits abandoned near her on the table.

“I'm out,” Dolls says, pushing himself away from the counter. “I have things to do.”

“Yeah, things like sitting down with us and playing a game, Dolls.” Waverly stares him down until he sighs heavily and takes a seat at the table.

With the entire group seated, Doc shuffles the deck and deals out the cards. Nicole looks utterly confused, but she thinks she gets the basic concept of the game.

“Why are you forcing us to play Uno?"

“Bonding time. We should all get to know each other better.”

There’s a groan from everyone in the group- minus Waverly and Nicole.

The newest member of their group grins, shifting the cards around in her hands. “I believe that this is a fantastic idea. I don't know the first thing about any of you except for Waverly.”

“See? Nicole gets it!” Waverly says, gesturing wildly at the redhead.

Wynonna scoffs, taking a long pull from her bottle of whisky. “She has to agree with you. She's, like, bound to you. Or something.”

“I have free will,” Nicole says, raising an eyebrow at Wynonna. “I can say and do what I want to. Most of the time. I mean, when Waverly calls me I'm pulled from whatever I was doing, but-“

“Darlin’, you're not helping your case.”

Nicole opens her mouth as if to say something, then closes it again, shaking her head slightly. 

Waverly declares that the game is now starting. She encourages everyone to tell the table (and mostly Nicole) something about themselves.

Of course, the group is very unhelpful. Wynonna says, “Doughnuts and whisky are my jam. Killing demons is also my jam.”

“I was born in Toronto,” Dolls grunts, laying a wild card down. He chooses green. To be honest, it was more than Waverly expected from Dolls. None of them knew that, and it was surprising that he’d share something that personal. 

“I was a dentist, way back then. What did you do, Ms. Haught?”

She reacts in the same way she did when Waverly asked how she died. She starts to answer before she stops, confusion clouding her expression.

“I can't remember. I don't… I don't remember much of my life. Before I died, I mean. I can't even remember how I…”

She trails off with a barely audible sigh. The rest of the group shares a glance, each of them feeling some amount of concern for Nicole.

The redhead just grabs her glass and downs the remaining whisky, not even grimacing at the burn.

Waverly just places her hand on Nicole’s shoulder, ready to ask if she's okay. Nicole beats her to the punch, though. 

“I'm fine, Waverly. Don't worry about me.”

Waverly watches her for another long moment, but the angel won't meet her eyes.

—

By the end of the night, they've played more games of Uno than they can count. Both of the bottles of whisky have been drained (plus a few beers) and even Dolls lightened up a bit.

Even with the considerable amount of alcohol Nicole had consumed, she feels perfectly fine. “Well, Doc, I guess that answers your question. Looks like I can't get drunk.”

Doc barely lifts his head off of the table, mumbling something that sounds like “Well, what a shame.”

Nicole stands up, making her way into the living room, where Waverly is passed out on the couch.

“Waverly,” she whispers, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Wake up. I'll get you to bed, okay?”

The smaller girl whines, curling tighter into herself. Nicole slides one arm underneath Waverly’s knees and the other underneath her neck. She lifts Waverly up gently, trying her best not to disturb the sleeping woman.

“Upstairs, first door on the right,” Wynonna says from her spot sprawled out on the floor.

“Thank you,” Nicole whispers. She slowly walks up the stairs, cradling Waverly close to her chest. Tulip the kitten follows them, purring loudly.

Nicole nudges the door to Waverly’s bedroom open, almost tripping as Tulip winds around her ankles.

“Kitty, please,” Nicole mumbles. She gently lies Waverly down on the bed, pulling the blankets over her. All four of them.

“Goodnight, Waves. Sleep tight.” Nicole scoops her cat up, stepping out into the hallway. She closes the door behind her, trying to ensure that the bright flash of light when she disappears won't disturb Waverly. 

It doesn't. Waverly wakes up the next morning with a headache, but the smell of vanilla clinging onto her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments and stuff, hit me up on my tumblr @memesdreamsandbeans thanks


	5. Calling All Angels

Chapter Five

—

_I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me. And I’m calling all angels. I’m calling all angels._

—

Nicole isn’t around for a few days, and the Black Badge office is quiet. Waverly takes the free time as an opportunity to do what she does best- research.

She starts with general research on angels and guardian angels. She flips through every religious text that she can find, murmuring to herself and taking notes down as she goes.

There’s actually frustratingly little information on guardians. Most of what Waverly reads states the same basic information. Humans are assigned angels that protect and guide them through life. She can’t manage to find anything that explains why exactly she was able to summon Nicole so easily.

Waverly moves onto research about Nicole specifically. Internet searches don’t turn up anything of use, which Waverly had anticipated. However, the area in which Nicole had been born and raised is only a few hours drive from Purgatory.

She lets Wynonna know where she’s going. Wynonna responds with, “I feel like it’s kind of morbid, trying to figure out how your angel girlfriend died.”

Waverly flushes bright red and stammers out a barely coherent answer. “She- I- Nicole isn’t, isn’t my girlfriend.”

Waverly watches with growing horror as Wynonna makes kissy faces. When she speaks, her voice is high and breathy. “Oh, Nicole, my brave and beautiful and sexy guardian angel! Oh, what would I do without your strong arms and your shapely ass in my life?”

Before she leaves, Waverly throws a pillow at her sister. It smacks her dead-on in the forehead, but teasing laughter still follows her out of the door.

—

Waverly drives with the radio blasting and the windows down. The countryside passes by in a blur of blue skies and rolling hills. Her minds drifts, returning often to Nicole. She’s not sure what she’s going to find, if there even is anything at all.

She arrives at the little town after a few hours. She finds the library easily. It’s one of the tallest buildings in the town, made of dark brick. The windows are ornate colored glass and the doors are heavy, with designs carved into the wood.

Waverly pushes one of the doors open, stepping into the library. It’s dim and a bit musty smelling. She feels a chill run down her spine the second that she steps inside. Something feels not quite right, but the town is outside of the Ghost River Triangle, which eases some of Waverly’s nerves.

She steps further into the building, letting the door fall shut behind her. It only makes the room darker and creepier. She approaches the desk, which is barely visible due to the stacks of books piled in front of it.

“Hello?” She whispers, clutching tightly at her car keys. Waverly clears her throat, raising her voice marginally. “H-hello? Is there anyone here?”

A person appears from behind a bookcase, shuffling behind the desk. She looks absolutely ancient, almost as if she’s been around for just as long as the library has. Her hair is pure white and wispy and she’s hunched slightly. However, her eyes are bright and piercing, almost unsettling. She wears thick glasses, which make her eyes seem larger than they truly are.

Waverly steps up to the desk, lightly resting her hands on top of it. She puts on a bright, charming smile. “Hi there. Um, my name is Waverly. I’m here to do a little bit of research for a... friend.”

The old woman resettles her glasses on her nose, fixing Waverly with a suspicious look. “Research?” She asks, her voice sharp and unkind. “What kind of research? Research for who?”

“Um. I’m just looking for information on a family that’s from here. For my, um... my professor! Yeah, my professor wanted me to come down here. Yeah, for part of my thesis.”

She can tell that the librarian is still suspicious of her, but it seems that her stumbling lie worked. (Waverly really didn’t feel comfortable with saying “Yeah, I’m trying to figure out how my guardian angel, who I’m kind of falling in love with, died almost 170 years ago.”)

“The archives are in the basement. Don’t make a mess in my library.” Waverly nods, quickly scurrying away from the woman. She finds the stairs and descends them, which really doesn’t help ease her discomfort.

The basement is even darker than the upstairs, the lack of windows very noticeable. The area is lit only by uncovered bulbs in the ceiling. She shivers as she starts to search for information.

She’s sitting at a table, skimming through newspapers from 1876 when she sees a bright flash of light. She whirls around, finding Nicole behind her. Nicole still has that soft, pretty glow clinging to her skin. Nicole’s expression is one of worry and wariness, as if she’s expecting some sort of monster to pop out.

Waverly stands up, pushing her chair back. “Nicole? What are you doing here? Is everything alright?”

“No, no, nothing is alright. It felt- I.. you, something... something felt wrong. I felt like something bad was happening and I felt like something was pulling me and I ended up here,” Nicole says, tripping over her words and gesturing vaguely with her hands. Her eyebrows are drawn together and she almost looks paler than normal after the glow subsides.

Waverly approaches slowly, not wanting to startle or upset Nicole further. “Hey, hey, I’m okay. Don’t worry, Nicole. I’m fine, I was just a bit creeped out by this place. Nothing bad is happening.”

Nickel nods hesitantly. She reaches out for Waverly, gently grabbing her arm. “Are you sure? Nothing bad?”

“Nothing bad, Nic. I’m fine,” Waverly says, gently pulling Nicole’s hand away from her arm. She instead grabs Nicole’s hand, lacing their fingers together. She rubs small circles onto the back of Nicole’s hand with her thumb. Nicole’s skin is soft and warm and to Waverly it feels like their hands fit perfectly together.

“Okay, okay... Where are we?” Nicole asks, Finally looking around the room in confusion. “It’s creepy as hell in here.”

“We’re... at the library in the town you grew up in. In the basement. The archives are down here.”

“Oh,” Nicole murmurs, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table. She stares blankly at the newspapers in front of her.

Waverly’s eyebrows furrow and she takes her seat across from Nicole. “I was just trying to look into you, like you asked. To try and help you remember.”

Nicole doesn’t answer, she just reaches out and grabs one of the newspapers. Her fingers brush over it gently, almost reverently. Waverly watches for a few moments as the angel flips through the newspaper. She looks wistful and sad, but Waverly really can’t blame her. She can’t imagine what Nicole is going through.

Waverly decides to give Nicole a moment to think, so she goes back to skimming through the newspaper in front of her.

After a few moments, Nicole clears her throat. Waverly looks up at her, but Nicole is still staring down at the table. “It was late spring, I think. I remember that my mama wanted me to help her pick the peas in her garden, and one of the barn cats had just had a litter of kittens.”

“Do you remember anything else?” Waverly asks, her tone gentle and full of concern. She reaches across the table but doesn’t take Nicole’s, letting her decide if she wants the contact or not. Nicole doesn’t hesitate before grabbing the other woman’s hand, lacing their fingers together again.

“After that, no. Everything is just... fuzzy and blank.” She huffs out a dry, humorless laugh. “I guess being dead for almost a century and a half will do that to you.”

“Nicole,” Waverly begins, tightening her grip on the angels hand. “I’m sorry. We don’t have to keep looping. We can stop right now, and just forget all about this.”

The chair that Nicole is sitting in creaks as she shifts uncomfortably. She closes her eyes and exhales slowly. When she opens her eyes again, they are sad and tired, and Waverly’s heart aches. “I’ll never be able to just forget this, Waverly. I’ll never be able to stop thinking about it if I don’t find out what happened to me. We need to find out, Waverly.”

Waverly is conflicted, faced with two different choices that will no doubt end with pain for Nicole. No matter if they choose to continue researching or if they choose to just drop it, Nicole will be hurt. Waverly studies Nicole’s face closely, searching for some sort of answer.

“Okay,” Waverly says, squeezing Nicole’s hand one final time before letting it go. “We’ll keep looking.”

Waverly sets aside the newspapers from April and May. She takes all of the other newspapers and returns them to the box where she found them, being gentle with the old, yellowing paper.

When she returns, Nicole looks up at her with a sorrowful look in her eyes. “I’m sorry for putting you in this position, Waverly. I know that this is uncomfortable.”

“I want to help you, Nicole. You’re my friend, and I don’t want to see you hurting. I want what’ll make you happy.”

Nicole bites her lip, worrying the skin with her teeth. “You make me happy, Waverly. When I’m with you everything feels less confusing and foreign.” Nicole stands up abruptly, the chair tilting on its back legs as she does so. The front legs hit the floor again with a dull thud as Nicole begins to pace back and forth next to the paper-strewn table. The light from the dim lightbulbs catches her hair and turns it into a fiery halo. Waverly stares, completely enamored with the woman in front of her. She thinks that Nicole looks more like an angel now than she ever does.

Waverly stands up, actually knocking her chair over. It falls to the floor with a bang but Waverly doesn’t care, she’s focusing solely on her angel. Nicole is still pacing, shaking her head as if she regrets voicing her feelings.

Waverly grabs her shoulder and pulls Nicole to face her. She doesn’t hesitate to push up on her tiptoes and grab the back of Nicole’s neck with her free hand. She knows that it sounds cliche, but she swears that sparks fly the moment that their lips meet.

Nicole seems stunned for a minute, standing rigid. But soon she relaxes, her hands coming to settle on Waverly’s hips. She pulls the smaller woman closer, their bodies now pressing close together.

There’s only one thought running through Waverly’s brain, and it’s _soft, soft, she’s so soft, how can someone be this soft?_

Their lips separate by just a few inches, just enough for them to stare into each other’s eyes. Nicole’s eyes are as soft as her lips and Wavery can tell that Nicole is grinning by the way that the corners of her eyes crinkle.

Waverly tangles her hand into Nicole’s hair, still marveling at the way the light hits it. Waverly moves her hand from the back of Nicole’s neck to her cheek. She strokes Nicole’s cheek with her thumb, leaning in for another kiss.

This kiss isn’t as awkward, not as suddenly happening and forceful and then over just as quickly as it had begun. This time all Waverly thinks about is how warm Nicole is how she tastes just like vanilla.

She probably should have anticipated what happened next. I mean, she did knock over her chair when she stood up. And the librarian did seem pretty strict. So it really shouldn’t have surprised her when the librarian starts yelling at them from the bottom of the stairs. It still does, though.

“What is going on here? There is no PDA allowed in my library!” Waverly springs away from Nicole, who whirls around to look at the librarian.

“Uh...” Nicole begins, her eyes growing wide. “We were just...”

“Going! We were just going now,” Waverly says, grabbing her purse from the table. With her free hand, she grabs Nicole’s arm and begins to drag her to the stairs. “We’ll be out of your hair now. Have a good day!”

They all but run up the stairs and out of the library. Waverly struggles with her purse, trying to wrestle her keys out. She finally does, unlocking the Jeep as they approach. The women hurriedly get into the Jeep. Waverly leans her forehead onto the steering wheel, groaning loudly.

“I’m so sorry, Nicole. That was... something,” she says, turning her head to look at the angel. To her surprise, Nicole is grinning, her dimples appearing.

“That was fantastic, Waverly,” she says. Nicole starts to laugh, and Waverly joins in. And as they laugh together, Waverly realizes that she hasn’t felt this happy in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! If you liked this chapter, feel free to let me know by leaving kudos or comments. They mean a lot! Thanks for reading.


	6. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, the trash au is back in full force. This chapter, some answers are revealed. There are mentions of violence and death so be warned.

Chapter Six

Nicole’s connection to earth seems spotty at best. One moment, she’s sitting with Waverly in the Jeep as they quietly drive back to Purgatory. The next, there’s the telltale bright flash of light and then Nicole is nowhere to be seen.

Waverly completes the rest of the drive in contemplative silence. She know that she has feelings for Nicole, and they’re obviously reciprocated to some extent. The problem, of course, is that Nicole is dead. Nicole is dead, she has been for over a century, and they still don’t know why.

Waverly isn’t sure what their relationship could be or what it even is. She doesn’t even really know when or if she’s going to see Nicole again.

When she returns to the Homestead, their grill is on fire and Doc is trying to beat the flames out with his coat. Wynonna is standing behind him, a whisky bottle in her hand. Waverly has the suspicion that the whisky might have something to do with the giant goddamn fire.

“Oh, Jesus,” Waverly mumbles. “I can’t leave these two children on their own, can I?” She reaches into the back of the Jeep to grab her emergency kit, grabbing the fire extinguisher that has been used more times than Waverly would like to admit.

Waverly stomps up to Wynonna and Doc, a scowl etched onto her face. Her face is all hard lines and sharp edges as she squeezes the handle on the fire extinguisher and aims it at the base of the fire.

Once the flames have been dealt with, she can see the blackened hunks of some sort of meat. She gestures vaguely with the hand that isn’t holding the fire extinguisher. “What the hell is going on here?”

Doc is the first one to respond, sweeping his hat off of his head to hold in front of his heart. “Why, Miss Waverly! I surely was not expecting you to be back so soon.”

“Answer my question, Doc,” Waverly says, her voice nearing a growl. She presses her fingers into her temples, trying to stave off the headache that she can feel starting.

“You see, babygirl, we thought that we’d make a nice dinner, throw some steaks on the grill...” She waves her hands around, attempting to look as charming and innocent as possible.

“But you _neglected_ the fact that neither of you ever have _any_ idea of what the hell you’re doing, so you decide to set our fucking grill on fire! How drunk are you, Wynonna? Huh? How much have you already had to drink today?”

Wynonna looks down at the bottle in her hand, her eyebrows raising slightly. “Uhh... Doc’s drank more than me.”

“Perfect,” Waverly hisses, turning her glare onto Doc. “You could have set yourself on fire, you asshole. You could have set _everything_ on fire. What would you have done if the grill had tipped over or something and the grass caught on fire? What about the homestead?”

Doc just plays with the hat in his hands, averting his gaze from both Waverly and the charred grill.

Waverly stomps up to her older sister and snatches the whisky bottle away. “It’s time to grow up and act like your age, Wynonna. No more drunk, dangerous bullshit.”

The pair watches the whirlwind that is an angry Waverly stomp away from them. Wynonna is still surprised by just how much emotion such a tiny little thing like her sister can contain.

“Christ, someone pissed in her Cheerios. She was fine before she left,” Wynonna says, already mourning the loss of her whisky, which is probably being poured down the sink right about now.

“Do you think that her mood has something to do with Ms. Haught, perhaps?” Doc asks, having gotten the account of this morning’s teasing before Waverly had left for her research mission.

“Can’t imagine what a literal angel could’ve done to piss the nicest person in the world off.” Wynonna shrugs, gently flipping over one of the blackened steaks with one finger.

Doc watches her, dropping his hat back on his head. “While Ms. Haught is an angel, I do believe that she is quite human in nature. I believe that she can make mistakes, just as the rest of us can.”

“Yeah,” Wynonna agrees softly. Guilt starts to seep into Wynonna’s whisky dulled emotions, and she sighs heavily. “I guess that we’d better clean all this mess up, huh? Maybe get Waves some sweet and sour soup as a peace offering...”

“That would be wise. May I suggest that we telephone call the Deputy Marshal to assist us? I do not believe that we should be lifting this in our state,” he says, gesturing towards the blackened grill.

“You mean get Dolls to do all our work for us? Sounds fantastic.”

—

Waverly can’t slam her bedroom door the way she wants to, because if she closes it too hard the door sticks and she has to yank at it to get it open. But what she can do is slam her books down onto her desk and flip angrily through them.

It only takes her a few minutes to calm down and actually focus on her research. As angry as she is, she knows that they need to keep hunting the Revenants and that her research can help.

Dolls had given her an old journal a few days ago, telling her that it could lead to some clues about the location of a revenant named Joel Drummond who had killed a rancher in the area.

The journal is almost tragic at first. Drummond wrote about his sick wife and his ranch that had suffered through a fire that burned half of his fields and killed most of his cows.

It quickly gets more sinister, though, as Drummond starts to write about killing ranch owners at night and stealing their cattle.

He writes about branding the people he murdered- he would set a fire and hold his brand in it before leaving his mark and fleeing the property with the cows.

Waverly moves to her computer, searching for Joel Drummond. She finds a few articles about him, including an obituary from an old newspaper clipping. It says that Drummond was shot and killed by Wyatt Earp- definitely a revenant, then.

She searches for the brand that he used, wondering if he had been using it again and they had missed it somehow.

Waverly finds a drawing of the brand, and the second that she sees it, her blood runs cold.

She jolts up and throws her door open, running down the steps as fast as she can without falling flat on her face or putting a foot through one of the less stable steps.

Wynonna’s head snaps up from her phone when Waverly slams the door open, an almost guilty smile appearing on her face. “Hey, baby girl! We’re almost done cleaning- what’s wrong?”

“I think- I think that a revenant killed Nicole. And I think that’s why she’s linked to me. And... and I think that she doesn’t remember anything because it was...”

Waverly trails off, shaking her head as if to try to banish the mental image of Nicole’s death.

Wynonna is over at her sister’s side almost instantly, gripping at her shoulders. “It was bad?” Wynonna asks, her voice gentle and quiet. Waverly nods, bringing her arms up to wrap around Wynonna as she slumps into her big sister. “Who was it, Waves.”

“His name is Joel Drummond,” she starts, her words slightly muffled against Wynonna’s shoulder. “And he would brand the people he would kill. Literally burn his mark into their flesh.”

“How does he tie to Nicole?” Wynonna strokes Waverly’s hair gently, running her fingers through it in the same way that she used to do when they were little and their Daddy’s screaming would terrify Waverly.

“Her symbol is the exact same, Wynonna,” she says, blinking back the tears that threaten to spill.

Wynonna pulls Waverly closer, a shiver running down her spine. “We’ll get him, baby girl. We’ll make the bastard pay for everything that he’s ever done.”

Waverly nods against her sister’s shoulder, the leather of her jacket soft against her cheek.

They’re both startled by the flash of light that’s part of Nicole appearing. Waverly pulls away from her sister to find the angel standing a few feet away, her shoulders tense and her eyebrows furrowed.

“Waverly, I’m so sorry for disappearing like that, I don’t know what happened, but you were feeling upset again and I felt like I had to come.”

Waverly throws her arms around Nicole’s neck, unable to stop the tears this time. “I’m sorry, Nicole.”

Nicole hesitantly wraps her arms around Waverly, looking over the smaller girl’s shoulder to Wynonna. She averts her gaze, not wanting to intrude on the moment between the two.

“What’s wrong, Waverly? Are you alright?” Nicole asks, all too tempted to press a comforting kiss to the top of her head.

“I need you to take off your shirt,” Waverly says as she pulls away, sniffling softly. She wipes at her eyes, which are red and already puffy from the tears.

“Uh...? What?” Nicole stutters out, firmly grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it down slightly.

Waverly covers Nicole’s hands with her own, her expression turning pleading. “Nicole, please. I need to know. You need to know.”

The cryptic answer only confused Nicole further, but she gives in. She slowly unbuttons her shirt, crossing her arms defensively as soon as it drops to the ground.

Under other circumstances, Waverly probably would have enjoyed the silky smooth, pale skin on display in front of her. At the moment, though, she’s solely interested in finding out if her idea is correct.

There aren’t any markings on her chest or stomach aside from a small scar a few inches above her left hip that seems unrelated. She gently grabs Nicole’s arm, turning her around.

She finds the brand on Nicole’s shoulder. It’s surprisingly hard to see, but once Waverly finds it, it’s very apparent. It really just looks like a normal scar, the skin is slightly raised and lighter than the rest.

Waverly gently brushes her fingers over Nicole’s shoulder. She tenses up slightly at the touch, inhaling sharply.

“I’m so sorry, Nicole. We... I know how you died.”

“Oh,” she murmurs, her shoulders dropping from their tensed position.

“Waves, do you want me to leave you two alone?” Wynonna asks. Waverly shakes her head, glancing back at her sister.

“If Nicole is alright with you being there, then no,” Waverly says, reaching down to grab Nicole’s shirt off of the ground. She brushes the dirt away from it before helping Nicole back into it. Waverly buttons it, letting her fingers linger on Nicole’s collarbone for a moment.

Nicole covers Waverly’s hand with her own, holding it in place. Their gazes meet and Nicole tilts her head down, giving Waverly’s hand a firm squeeze.

Their hands drop, still intertwined, down to their sides. Wynonna trails behind them as Waverly leads Nicole into the homestead.

She guides Nicole to a chair and busies herself with making them all a cup of tea. Wynonna knows that her little sister is trying to distract herself from the task at hand. It was a behavior that she had picked up from their uncle Curtis ages and ages ago.

Making tea doesn’t buy her much in the way of time. Nicole sits quietly, her gaze focused intently on a loose string on the end of her sleeve. Waverly sets a cup down in front of Nicole and hands one to Wynonna, who is leaning against the counter.

She finally takes a seat across from the redheaded angel, folding and unfolding and folding her hands together.

“His name is Joel Drummond,” Waverly begins. She continues to tell Nicole what she knows about the man. “That’s why I needed to see. Your... shoulder. His brand is the same as your symbol. And it’s on your shoulder.”

Nicole rubs distractedly at her shoulder, staring down at the floor. “I... worked as a ranch hand. I remember that now.”

Wynonna pushes herself off of the counter, taking a small step closer to the table. “Nicole, we’re going to hunt that son of a bitch down and put him in the ground.”

Nicole nods, giving Wynonna a grateful look. Wynonna pats Nicole’s shoulder, looking only a little awkward after doing so. “Right. I’m gonna... give you two a minute alone. Gonna just... go to the station.”

Waverly stands up once she hears the door bang shut. “Are you alright, Nicole?” She asks, stepping in front of her and holding a hand out.

Nicole takes her hand, standing as well. She pulls Waverly into her arms, sighing softly. Waverly wraps her arms around Nicole’s waist as she lays her head on the taller woman’s chest.

“It’s strange knowing,” Nicole whispers after a moment, her fingers idly stroking Waverly’s hair.

“I’m so sorry. I know that it must hurt.” Waverly can hear the soft thump of Nicole’s heart. She tightens her arms around Nicole’s waist, feeling her own heart ache for the angel.

Nicole presses a gentle kiss to the top of Waverly’s head. “It doesn’t hurt, I suppose. Just... knowing makes it more real. I’m starting to remember.”

Waverly leans back just enough to look up into Nicole’s face. “I’m here. I’m always here for you, Nic. Just trust me.”

“I do trust you,” she replies, gently brushing her thumb over one of Waverly’s cheeks. She dips her head down, the tip of her nose bumping against Waverly’s.

Waverly connects their lips, both of their eyes falling shut at the gentle contact. She clutches onto the back of Nicole’s shirt, holding her close.

Nicole pulls away slightly, leaning her forehead against the other woman’s. She brushes her fingers softly through Waverly’s hair, letting her breathing slow to a normal rate.

“I’m going to make sure we get him, Nicole. I’m going to make sure you get the justice that you deserve.”

“As long as we’re together in it,” Nicole murmurs, bringing their lips together for one more kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there it is. Please please leave comments or kudos to let me know what you think. And feel free to leave me a message or whatever on my tumblr @memesdreamsandbeans   
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Find Your Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be warned, this chapter deals with character death and may not be suited for everyone. If this will effect you, I urge you not to read this chapter

Chapter Seven

A few days later the gang, including Nicole, gathers in the Black Badge office at the Purgatory police department.

Nicole stands behind Waverly, watching as she types at a computer. Nicole’s eyebrows are furrowed as she watches the tiny woman’s fingers move like lightening across the keys. She still doesn’t quite understand what Waverly is trying to accomplish. She doesn’t quite understand most of the contraptions in this room.

Wynonna and Dolls are on the far side of the room, a whispered conversation between them. Doc is sitting, his feet propped up on the desk in front of him. His hat is pulled down low over his eyes and Nicole is almost certain that he’s sleeping.

Waverly pushes a few more buttons and then the other bit which she called a mouse, even though it’s clearly not a small rodent. The short box sitting next the much taller, thinner box lights up and begins to make a whirring noise.

Nicole jumps as it does, knocking against the back of Waverly’s chair on accident. Waverly looks over her shoulder with a smile wide enough that her eyes crinkle into half-moons.

“It’s just a printer, Nic. Here, look. When I tell the computer- yes, that’s the computer- when I tell it to print what I’m looking at, it does.” Waverly gestures at the short box, which is now spitting out papers. “The printer just puts the things on the computer onto paper.”

Nicole picks up the top paper once it’s done spitting them out. She looks from it to the computer screen, still no less baffled at their technology. She hands the paper to Waverly, who thanks her.

After that, Nicole watches Waverly pick up the papers and pin them up on the cork board next to her desk.

“So, we’re tracking every lead we have to find Drummond. The sheriff has been sending us any reports that he’s gotten about any cattle mutilations, any fires, crimes of that sort. He says that none of his deputies have noticed any sort of odd symbols on any bodies that we don’t already know about.”

Waverly looks over her shoulder at Nicole, who is studying the pictures that Waverly had just put up. The corners of her lips are pulled down in a frown. Her eyes, normally so bright and full of happiness, look dim and clouded.

She nods almost imperceptibly when their eyes meet for a fleeting moment. The redhead quickly looks back away, her hands finding a loose string on the hem of her jacket to worry at.

Waverly steps away from the board, guilt setting deep into her chest. Her heart aches to see any pain on her angel’s face. “I’m sorry, Nicole. I wasn’t really thinking, I didn’t mean to be insensitive or anything.”

Nicole shrugs it off, muttering something quietly. Waverly steps closer, taking one of Nicole’s hands in her own. She loves the way their hands feel together, how Nicole’s skin is impossibly soft and smooth and how her long fingers link perfectly with her own.

“Hey, Wyn, I think that Nicole and I are gonna take a little break. Take a walk, get some coffee,” Waverly says, leaning to the side slightly to see Wynonna behind Nicole.

The heir looks up from her conversation with Dolls, waving her hand dismissively. “Go, go. I know we can’t keep your puppy locked up for too long.”

Waverly tugs Nicole along with her, resisting the urge to flip Wynonna and her smirking face off. 

She slows their pace once they’re out of the Black Badge offices and into the open police station. They pass the sheriff’s office on the way to the front door and Waverly gives the man a cheery wave, along with that bright grin of hers. She can see Nedley try to fight back a smile, not wanting his gruff old lawman facade to slip.

As soon as the doors to the station are open, Nicole begins to feel less claustrophobic and clouded. The air has a slight chill to it, hinting to the change in season that isn’t too far away.

Nicole uses their walk as a moment to take in the sights of Purgatory. The only times she’d been into the main town were the grocery store fight and another time that she had recently visited the Black Badge office. She hadn’t had a chance to really get to see the town either time.

Purgatory is nice. Beautiful, even. Nicole knows that very few people would probably refer to the town that way, but it reminds her of the town that she had grown up in. It’s a kind of nostalgic beauty, she thinks. 

As they walk, Waverly points out buildings and offers short stories about the people who either live or work there. She tells Nicole of the history of the town. Nicole happily listens to Waverly, enjoying just how enthusiastic she is about their local history. She also enjoys how Waverly squeezes her hand every time she gets particularly excited about something.

They finally stop at a small shop, a sign proclaiming it as Purgatory Brews. The coffee shop is small and quaint, creating a comfortable vibe instantly. 

“This is my favorite coffee shop. They’re the only one in town with gluten free and vegan options.”

“Oh,” Nicole says, nodding along with Waverly’s words. Mostly, she’s just trying to act like she understands whatever Waverly just said. The shorter girl grabs her hand, linking their fingers together. She drags Nicole into the line, presumably already knowing her order.

Of course, Nicole sort of has no idea what’s going on. She doesn’t see the word coffee anywhere on the menu hanging behind the counter. What she does see is a bunch of words that she’s definitely never seen before.

Waverly must sense her discomfort in some way because she gives Nicole’s hand a squeeze and laughs softly. “Don’t be worried, Nicole. What do you want?”

“Um. Coffee? Just normal coffee,” Nicole says, shrugging awkwardly. Waverly grins up at her, her eyes crinkling up into half moons. 

“That’s doable,” Waverly replies as they step up to the counter. Waverly recites their order to the bored looking teenager standing behind the counter. (Nicole still doesn’t understand anything that Waverly is saying. Something about a... caramel soy milk? It sounds like a foreign language to her.)

The young barista asks for Waverly’s name and tells her the total for their order. Waverly grabs Nicole’s arm to drag her towards a table while they wait for their coffee.

“What are you getting?” Nicole asks, running her fingertips along the dark wood of the table that they sit at. 

“A caramel macchiato with soy milk,” Waverly replies. Nicole doesn’t even bother asking what that means. At this point, she’s decided to give up on understanding some of those small details. “Nicole, I wanted to ask you how you’re feeling.”

“I’m fine. You and Wynonna are helping me figure things out,” Nicole shrugs. “Thank you for that, by the way.”

“You don’t have to thank me. I’ll always be here to help you figure out whatever you need. But really, how are you feeling? This whole situation is completely screwed up.”

Nicole hesitates for a moment, sighing softly. She lets herself get lost in the constant low murmur of the coffee shop, the gentle sound of mugs being set down and spoons clinking against ceramic.

“Confused. Angry at Drummond and death and all the pain in this world. Upset that you and your sister and the others have to deal with all of this on a daily basis.” Nicole’s voice drops to a soft whisper. “You keep all these people safe, day after day, and they don’t even know it.”

“It’s worth it. We know that they’re safe, and that’s all that matters. And, Nicole, it’s totally normal for you to feel like that. I’ve been angry and confused and upset ever since we started fighting this curse.”

“But how do you stop feeling like that? I hate it, Waverly. I just feel... hopeless.”

Waverly reaches across the table to take Nicole’s hand, trying to offer some sort of comfort. “I don’t know. You just have to try to push past it. Just remember that we’re doing all we can to break the curse and make sure that no one is hurt my a revenant ever again.”

The serious mood resulting from their conversation is broken as the same teenager calls Waverly’s name. She stands, telling Nicole that she’ll be back in a moment.

Nicole stares out the window, watching people pass. There’s a man with a little dog who has a yellow bandanna tied around his neck and a woman holding a small girl’s hand. There’s a small park across the street where other children are gathered, kicking a ball back and forth.

Waverly returns, setting a cup down in front of Nicole. She follows Nicole’s gaze to the park as she sits back down.

“There were never really children around when I was alive. It was rare for a child to live very long. But I always did like children.”

“Yeah? Me too. When I was still in school I would babysit some of my neighbor’s little kids. I loved playing with them.”

Nicole sips at her coffee, enjoying the taste and the warmth from the cup. “That sounds very pleasant.”

“It was. Then they got old enough to look after themselves and I got so busy with school and then Wynonna coming home,” Waverly says, sighing softly. 

They sit quietly, both lost in their respective imaginations. Waverly eventually clears her throat and focuses back on Nicole.

“We should probably get going. Who knows what trouble Wynonna has managed to get herself into while we been gone, huh?”

—

“I think I have a lead.”

“What?” Waverly mutters, lifting her head off of her pillow. “Wynonna?”

Waverly can feel the bed dip as Wynonna sits down next to her. “I think that I finally found a lead. About Drummond.”

Waverly rolls over onto her back to look up at her big sister. “What? How?” Wynonna lays down next to Waverly, pushing a lock of Waverly’s hair behind her ear.

“I was up all night looking all the files over and all of your research and I finally noticed something. We’ll talk more about it in the morning, baby girl.”

“Can I tell you something?” Waverly asks, letting her eyes fall shut as Wynonna continues to run her fingers through her hair.

“Of course. You never have to be afraid to tell me anything.”

“I think that I might be in love with Nicole,” Waverly says, opening her eyes to anxiously watch for Wynonna’s reaction.

To Waverly’s surprise, she just smiles and nods. “I figured. With the way that you stare at her whenever she’s around... She’s good, baby girl.”

“She’s so good, Wynonna. How many people can say that they're in love with an actual angel?"

"Not many. You're pretty special, Waves," Wynonna says. They lay in silence, Waverly starting to nod off again. "We'll keep talking about this tomorrow. Do what you gotta do to get Nicole here and we'll hold a meeting with the gang."

Waverly nods, barely even processing the words in her exhausted state. She doesn't even know how late it is... or how much coffee Wynonna must have drank to stay awake for this.

—

"I was looking last night and I found something that we must have overlooked the first few hundred times that we went over everything," Wynonna says. She and the rest of the Black Badge gang are sitting around the table in the Homestead's kitchen.

"So, we missed Drummond's family. He had a son. He didn't write about him very often, just fleeting mentions a few times. But that son eventually made his way to our corner of the woods. He had a ranch just about fifty miles outside of Purgatory."

"Are you implying that this fiend has made his home in said ranch, Wynonna?" Doc drawls. He looks more sober than he has in weeks, his eyes clear and alert. They all look serious, even more so than usual.

"That's exactly what I'm implying. Drummond's son changed his name because he didn't want to be associated with his asshole murderer of a father. He changed hhis name to Kent.”

“The- the Kent ranch? No one’s lived there for seventy years,” Waverly says. She and Nicole are sitting close, their hands tightly clasped together. Doc and Dolls had been made aware of their relationship earlier that morning. Neither of them had been very surprised. 

“Which makes it the perfect place for a revenant to hide,” Dolls says, leaning forward in his chair. “It’s abandoned. No one cares about it. No one goes out there anymore.”

“But... what if he’s not there?”

“Then we just have to keep looking, baby girl. We’re not gonna stop looking until we find him. We’re going to help Nicole.”

—

They get prepared. Wynonna spends an hour cleaning and polishing Peacemaker. Dolls goes and finds a vantage spot to watch the old Kent farmhouse.

Nicole and Waverly sit together in the living room, leaning against each other as they quietly talk. Nicole talks about the memories that she's starting to remember. She talks about the flowers that her mother would grow and the sweet smell that reminds her of spring. About how a rancher near her home had offered her a well paying job. She was close enough to home to still see her parents often, which she loved.

Waverly idly traces patterns against Nicole’s side, letting the low sound of her angel’s voice comfort her. Her head rests on Nicole’s shoulder, Nicole’s arm wrapped tightly around her.

“And we had a horse too. She was the sweetest little lady, never caused us any problems. Her name was Daisy.”

Waverly is about to say something when Wynonna busts into the room, Peacemaker clutched in one hand and her phone in the other.

“Waves, Haught, Dolls just called. There’s movement at the farmhouse. He wants us over there as soon as we possibly can.”

Waverly detangles herself from Nicole, standing up. She holds out a hand to help Nicole up, which the angel takes. Waverly pulls Nicole into a tight hug, leaning her head onto Nicole’s chest to hear the beat of her heart. 

“C’mon, you two horndogs. As much as I enjoy the display of affection, we gotta go,” Wynonna says, pointing impatiently towards the door.

The two women pull away from each other, letting their hands linger together. The three women walk outside, all of them feeling some amount of worry that they’re trying to keep hidden.

—

Wynonna parks near Dolls’ hiding spot. They meet him there, where he immediately tells them to be quiet and stay low to the ground.

They wait for a few minutes before Dolls points out the movement that he had been seeing. Waverly takes his binoculars and focuses on the house, tracking the movement inside.

Behind her, Wynonna edges closer to Dolls. “Where’s Doc?” She whispers. 

“Other side of the house. I sent him over there to keep watch,” he whispers back.

Waverly lowers the binoculars with a frustrated groan. “I lost him.” She hands the binoculars back to Dolls, who resumes looking.

There’s quiet for a moment before sudden commotion breaks loose. Gunshots ring loudly throughout the valley. Dolls drops his binoculars, already scrambling forward down the hill.

“He saw Doc! Shit, shit!”

Wynonna takes off after him instantly and a moment later, Waverly grabs Nicole’s hand and pulls her down after the others. 

They can see Doc and the revenant when the reach the bottom of the hill. Doc is hiding behind a rusted car that’s held up on cinderblocks. Drummond is leaning out from behind the house, a pistol in his hand.

He shoots and pulls back behind the house. Waverly can see Wynonna charging towards the back of the house, with Dolls right behind her.

Drummond sees the angry heir running towards him and he starts sprinting towards the forest lining the back of the property. Soon, all five of them are chasing the revenant. Doc is still taking shots at him as he runs, managing to clip his arm. 

It doesn’t slow him down at all. He reaches the edge of the forest, disappearing into the trees. The Black Badge group slows to a stop, all of them (all of the humans, at least) trying to catch their breaths.

“Shit,” Wynonna groans, rubbing her hands over her face. “We lost the bastard. He’s gonna know that the ranch isn’t safe anymore. We need to figure out where he’ll be hiding and-”

“This way,” Nicole whispers, her gaze focusing on the forest. As far as the rest of the gang can tell, there’s nothing to indicate that.

“Nicole? What... how can you tell?” Waverly asks, laying a gentle hand on Nicole’s arm to get the angel to look at her.

She shakes her head, looking no less confused than the rest of them. “I don’t know. I just... I just feel it. He’s this way.”

Wynonna exchanges a glance with Waverly, who just shrugs. “Well, alright. I say that we trust the celestial being. Lead the way, Red.”

They pick through the forest, with Nicole leading them. She walks steadily, seeming to be entirely sure of where she’s leading the group.

None of the rest of them are entirely convinced that Nicole knows where she’s going. (Except for Waverly, who has complete faith in the angel.)

Nicole halts, calling out in a soft, quiet voice. “Wait. Look over there.” She points off into the distance, a small clearing that they can just see through the trees. “He’ll be there. Behind a... there used to be a cabin. Behind that.”

They creep towards the clearing, with Wynonna and Dolls taking point and Doc behind Nicole and Waverly.

As they grow closer, they can see the cabin. The roof is caved in and the rest of the cabin looks like it’s right about to collapse as well. Weeds grow tall and wild, reaching almost up to Waverly’s waist.

Doc and Dolls break away and approach the right side of the cabin while the girls approach the left. 

They try to be quiet, they try not to attract attention. They’ve stalked revenants in potentially dangerous situations before, this time should be no different. But he must hear something, somehow.

Drummond steps out from behind his cover, his pistol raised and pointed directly at Wynonna’s forehead.

“Any one ‘a you take another step and the heir gets a bullet in ‘er skull,” Drummond says, his voice low and grating. His eyes are glowing revenant red, the sigil on his face appearing.

Wynonna’s eyes flick back behind Drummond, where Doc and Dolls are. The men stand with wide eyes, both of them frozen in place. 

“I know they’re back there, little girl. You think I’m daft?” Drummond shakes his head, an unsettling smile growing on his face. His grin shows his teeth, yellowed and rotting in their neglect.

“You’ve gotta be daft to think that you’re gonna hurt me or my family,” Wynonna says, her hand resting on Peacemaker. The gun is still tucked away into its holster, but she’s ready to draw at any second.

Drummond’s gaze shifts, slowly moving behind Wynonna until he finds Waverly. “Look at you, pretty little thing. Maybe after I kill your sister we could have a little fun.”

Waverly stares at Wynonna, her heart rate increasing steadily. She hisses her sister’s name, receiving only a slight head shake in return. Waverly can’t feel Nicole behind her anymore, only adding to her distress.

“You won’t get that far,” Wynonna says, starting to take a step forward. Drummond steps forward himself, his lips twisting into a snarl.

“I told you to stay. Fucking. Put,” he growls, finger on the trigger of his pistol.

It almost happens too fast for Waverly to comprehend. Wynonna had taken a step back to placate the snarling revenant. He’s about to speak, his eyes returning to Waverly, when the words are replaced with an agonized cry. 

He falls to his knees, dropping his gun as he clutches at his hand. Waverly takes in the sight, her eyes catching on the knife sticking out of his hand. It’s flickering with blue fire. Nicole.

She looks... ethereal. More like an angel then she’s ever seen before. She’s glowing like she usually does right after she appears, but it seems somehow stronger now. And... she has wings. Nicole had mentioned them before, but Waverly had never seen them, never even stopped to visualize them.

She doubts that whatever she would have visualized would have come close to this sight. Nicole’s wings are mostly snowy white, soft streaks of pale gold accenting the white. 

Nicole steps forward, looking down at Drummond. When she speaks, she sounds utterly exhausted. “I thought that I could forgive you for all you’ve done. You’ve caused so much suffering, Joel Drummond. But I’ve come to realize that you don’t deserve my forgiveness.”

She stares at Drummond a moment longer before turning and giving a short nod to Wynonna. Nicole walks back to Waverly with her head held high.

Nicole’s eyes are alight, glowing a golden brown. Waverly can read the remorse and pain in them clearly. She reaches out for Nicole, her hand finding the angel’s waist. 

Nicole pulls Waverly forward into a hug, pressing their foreheads together. “It’s almost over, Nicole,” Waverly whispers.

They don’t watch Wynonna shoot him. They don’t watch as Drummond is dragged back into hell, clawing at the ground and shrieking his pain. 

All is quiet for a long moment. The clearing is eerily silent, even the animals in the surrounding forest have gone quiet.

All is quiet until Nicole takes a gasping breath, her hands leaving Waverly to clutch at her chest instead.

“Nicole? Nicole!” Waverly tries to support Nicole as her knees buckle. All she can do is watch as Nicole collapses, her face pale and the glow quickly fading.

She falls to her knees, her hands on Nicole’s face, on her neck, searching for any sign of life. She doesn’t notice when her sister runs up to her, doesn’t notice when Doc and Dolls join them moments later.

“No, no, no, Nicole, please. Wake up, please!” She cries, desperately grabbing at Nicole’s shoulders and shaking.

She doesn’t understand. Can’t comprehend why her love’s face has gone slack, expressionless. Why she’s not still here, still holding her in those strong arms.

Wynonna’s voice breaks through Waverly’s cries dimly, her voice urgent. “Waverly! Waverly, Jesus, I’m so sorry.”

Wynonna is there, behind her, hands on Waverly’s back. Trying to pull her away, but Waverly doesn’t want to be away.

She grasps at the front of Nicole’s shirt, still hoping for something. Some small flicker of movement, some small breath. Nothing comes.

Eventually, Dolls pulls her away, into his chest. She sobs into him, soaking his jacket.

“Shh, Waverly, shh... I’m so sorry,” he murmurs, his voice low and rumbling. He tries to be comforting, but Waverly is too far gone in her grief.

Doc approaches, takes Waverly from Dolls. He slowly guides them to the ground, cradling Waverly in his arms.

“Miss Haught was truly the best of us,” he whispers, tears making their way down his cheeks. “She’s at peace now, darlin’. She spent so long going through so much pain. I know better than most how hard it hurts bein’ here for so long.”

Somehow, hearing the brutal reality of it all helps to finally calm Waverly. “I love her,” Waverly says, her voice muffled by Doc’s shoulder.

“I know. Nicole loved you too. I could see it every time she looked at you.”

They stay in the clearing, all of them huddled together. Wynonna leans into Dolls’ side, both of them trying and failing to keep from crying.

Waverly can feel the exhaustion creep into her body, making her limbs feel heavy and her eyes fall closed.

No one knows where to go from here. No one knows why this happened, why their friend and protector had to be torn from them. 

They all thought that killing Drummond would have been cause for celebration and happiness.

Waverly slowly detangles herself from Doc, making her way over to Nicole once more.

She sits next to Nicole, her hands finding their way to stroke her hair. “I’m sorry, Nicole. I’m so sorry that you hurt for so long. Please find your peace.”

Waverly slides her hands through the red locks one more time. She feels tears welling up once again as she gazes down at Nicole’s sweet face. She looks peaceful, Waverly thinks, with her eyes closed and her hair framing her face.

None of this was expected. As Waverly is about to stand up and return to the others, to begin making the painful arrangements to deal with their situation, the unexpected just continues.

Nicole’s eyes fly open, her chest heaving as she takes in a gasping breath of air. She coughs and sputters, curling up on her side.

“Nicole!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think. Personally, I cried like a baby. I don’t like hurting my babies :(


	8. Heaven on Earth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, at the final chapter. This has been wonderful, readers. I’m so sorry that this chapter has taken so long to come out

Chapter Eight

_“Waverly, oh god Waverly, it hurts it hurts so bad...”_

—

They rush Nicole back to the homestead. Dolls doesn’t wait long after Nicole starts to painfully cry for help to pick her up and run with her back to his SUV.

Waverly rides with Nicole in the backseat. She’s curled up into a ball, shaking and whimpering softly. She clutches at one of Waverly’s hand. The other is busy stroking through red locks of hair as Waverly desperately tries to comfort Nicole.

Dolls makes it to the homestead in record time. Waverly helps him get Nicole out of the car and opens the door to the house for him.

Nicole’s forehead is shining with sweat and by this point, her pleas are replaced with incoherent mumbling. Dolls lays her down on the couch, running off into another room as soon as she’s down.

Waverly kneels beside her angel, pressing her fingers against Nicole’s wrist to find her pulse. It’s erratic and Waverly can’t think fast enough to calculate the beats per minute, but it’s strong. She takes that as a good sign.

Nicole doesn’t respond to Waverly squeezing her hand, her body wracked with sudden shudders and coughing.

Dolls, thank the lord, reappears with a syringe in his hand. “Tranquilizer. It’ll knock her out, lessen the pain. You need to hold her still.”

Waverly does as she’s told, continuing to whisper soft words to Nicole. As Dolls pushes the syringe, Nicole visibly relaxes. The tension drops out of her body and the shaking slows to a stop. Within a few minutes, Waverly can feel her heart rate slowing to an almost normal pace.

Waverly sits slumped next to the couch, Dolls sitting on the floor across from her. Just a moment later, they can hear the crunch of tires on gravel and the roar of Wynonna’s truck coming to a stop.

She and Doc come bursting into the door. Wynonna’s hair is wild, all over the place, and Doc’s hat is askew.

“Baby girl, how is she?” Wynonna asks, her gaze trained on the woman passed out on their couch.

“Not good, Waverly mumbles, exhaustion coloring her tone. “Whatever’s happening is causing her a lot of pain. Dolls had to give her a tranquilizer.”

Wynonna walks further into the room and sits down next to her sister, slinging her arm over Waverly’s shoulders. Doc settles onto the coffee table, straightening his hat out.

“We can assume that this is tied to Wynonna putting Drummond down. It’s like Doc and Constance Clootie. She was the reason for Doc’s immortality, so they were tied. Drummond was the ultimate cause for Nicole’s immortality,” Dolls says, looking around the room for any signs of confusion. They all nod their understanding.

“But when Constance died Doc lost his immortality, right? So are you saying that’s what happened to Nicole? That she’s... what, human again?” Waverly asks, her eyebrows drawing together.

“Something like that,” Dolls says, nodding.

Doc rubs at his mustache, his eyes unfocused. “When Clootie died I got awful sick.”

“Right,” Waverly says, sighing softly. “Her immune system won’t be used to anything anymore.”

—

Dolls disappears for a few hours, returning with a bag full of vaccines and all the medicine they could ever need. No one bothers to ask where or how he got everything.

Doc gently lifts Nicole, who’s still unconscious. They move her into Wynonna’s room, which is downstairs and near the living room and almost untouched.

Dolls hooks her up to an IV drip with Waverly watching. He quietly explains that he had some medic training and that this isn’t the first time that his skills have come in handy. It certainly won’t be the last.

He leaves the room after checking Nicole’s temperature and heart rate. Waverly stays with her, lost in her own mind.

—

Nicole wakes up hours later, when the sky has gone black and Waverly has fallen asleep, slumped forward in the chair that she had dragged to Nicole’s bedside.

Her eyes are bleary and her mind is foggy. She sits up slowly, holding her head for a moment when it spins uncomfortably. Her entire body aches- she doesn’t remember anything from the hours before except for searing pain.

Nicole looks around the room, dimly recognizing that she’s in the homestead. She sees Waverly sleeping next to her and breathes a sigh of relief.

She spends a moment inspecting the odd tube that seems to be disappearing into her skin before resigning herself to just asking Waverly about it later.  
  
“Nic?” She hears, coming from Waverly. Her voice is scratchy and sleep heavy. “Hey, how... how are you feeling?”

“Sore,” Nicole replies, her own voice hoarse. “Thirsty. Really, really thirsty.”

Waverly rises out of her chair, her movements still a little slow and fumbling. “I’ll be right back.” She shuffles out of the room, stretching her arms above her head, causing her back to pop in what seems like twenty different places.

Wynonna is passed out on the couch, clutching one of her precious throw pillows to her chest. Waverly smiles a small smile, glad to see her sister sleeping peacefully for once. She pulls the blanket off of the back of the couch and lays it over Wynonna.

"Goodnight, 'Nonna," she whispers before making her way into the kitchen. Dolls is sitting at the table, a stack of files in front of him. He looks up as Waverly walks in, sliding his reading glasses off of his nose.

"Waverly," he greets. "Is she awake?"

"Yeah," Waverly says, moving to the refrigerator to grab a bottle of water. "She just woke up a few minutes ago. You been up all night?”

Dolls gestures towards the files on the table, trying to conceal his heavy sigh. “Researching new leads. Mind if I come see Nicole in a few minutes? I’d like to check her condition.”

“If you promise to get some sleep after you do,” Waverly says, giving him the most disapproving look she can muster. He raises his hands in defeat, flipping the folder closed.

He and Waverly quietly walk through the living room, careful to avoid the spots on the floor that creak alarmingly loud. (Waverly had mapped out all of those places long ago for times when she wanted to sneak out of the house and look at the stars without Ward catching her.)

“Nic,” she says softly, pushing the door open. Nicole is still awake, although she looks like she’s about to drop off into sleep at a moment’s notice.

She brightens up when she sees Waverly, that familiar, dimpled smile making an appearance. “Waves.”

Waverly reclaims her seat, twisting the cap off of the water bottle. Nicole takes it gratefully, draining almost the entire bottle.

Dolls stands on the other side of the bed, a rare smile on his face. “Nicole, how you feeling?”

“Sore and tired. And I don’t really know what happened,” she says, letting Waverly take the water bottle from her.

“After Wynonna shot Drummond you collapsed. No detectable heart beat. We thought that you had died again until you woke up and starting screaming.”

Nicole stares down at the quilt on the bed, processing what Dolls tells her. “Oh. I don’t... I don’t think I’m an angel anymore?”

“We were thinking that too. A second chance, I guess,” Waverly says. “We also think that you’re going to get really, really sick for a while. Your immune system hasn’t actually had to deal with anything for over a hundred years.”

“Right. Well, I certainly don’t feel very good,” Nicole sighs.

Dolls gives her the vaccines, explaining what they do in a quiet voice. Waverly holds her hand, squeezing gently every time that Nicole winces in pain.

He finishes up, patting her gently on the shoulder. He leaves, not before assuring Waverly that he was going to get some sleep.

—

Nicole is sick and miserable for weeks. Waverly spends as much time as possible with her, spending hours doing research and talking to Nicole about anything that she can.

Doc spends time with her as well, playing cards and reminiscing about ‘the old days.’ Wynonna occasionally hangs around, telling Nicole stories about Greece or Spain or whatever other countries that she had travelled to.

Nicole slowly, slowly gets better. She’s restless and she gets a little bit grumpy, snapping at Wynonna one night. Nicole is much happier after Dolls finally lifts his ‘in bed at all times rule.’

She apologizes to Wynonna, her head down and her expression one of intense guilt. Wynonna throws her arm around Nicole’s neck with a grin, declaring that she likes women with a little fire.

—

“Hey, I’m gonna go to the library for a little bit,” Waverly says, grabbing her keys from the bowl on the counter.

Nicole drops her cards onto the table, pouting up at Waverly. “Please, please let me go with you.”

“I’m just going to the library, baby. Nothing exciting,” Waverly says, tilting her head slightly. Nicole groans, throwing her head back so she’s staring at the ceiling.

“But I’m just so bored, Waverly. Please take me. Please.” Doc chuckles from across the table, setting his cards down. He removes his hat, brushing his hair behind his ears as he speaks.

“Well, Miss Haught, I was not aware that my company was so tiring to you,” he says, although the amused glint in his eyes betrays his words.

Nicole straightens up in her chair, her eyes suddenly wide as she misses the humor in Doc’s demeanor. “Oh, no, Doc. I didn’t mean it like that, I really enjoy spending time with you. I’m just so tired of being cooped up all the time.”

“I was just pokin’ fun,” Doc says. “Go spend some time somewhere other than here. Me and the cards will be right here when you get back.”

Nicole grins at Doc, breathing a sigh of relief. Waverly holds her hand out for Nicole. “Come on, then. I won’t promise you that it’ll be any fun.”

Nicole rises out of the chair, taking Waverly’s hand. Their fingers link together easily, as if their hands are made to be together.

—

Nicole quickly becomes enamored with the library. She follows Waverly around with wide eyes, tilting her head to the side in order to read the titles of the books.

Waverly smiles, watching Nicole brush her fingers over the spine of some biography. “You can grab whatever you like, Nic. Mrs. Atkinson will let me take out as many books as I want.”

As they move through the library, the stack in Nicole’s arms only grows larger. She grabs anything that seems even remotely interesting. (Waverly also adds a few of her own favorites onto Nicole’s pile.)

The old librarian, Mrs. Atkinson, chuckles warmly when she sees Waverly approach her desk. “Hello, dear. It’s been far too long since I last saw you.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Waverly says, her face scrunched up in an apologetic grimace. “I’ve just been really busy lately.”

“I think that I can let it slide if I see you back here more often. Now would you care to introduce your friend to me?”

Nicole sets her stack of books down on the counter, offering her hand to the librarian. “Nicole Haught, ma’am. I’m, uh, new to town.” Mrs. Atkinson mirrors Nicole’s bright smile, shaking her hand happily.

“She’s my girlfriend, actually,” Waverly cuts in, laying a gentle hand on Nicole’s elbow. Nicole looks down at Waverly with an adoring smile.

Mrs. Atkinson looks between the two women, quickly coming to approve the relationship. She can see the care and love that both women hold for each other plainly in their eyes.

“Well that’s just lovely,” Mrs. Atkinson says, stepping back behind her desk to begin checking out their pile of books. “Nicole, sweetie, what brings you to town?”

Nicole looks to Waverly as she starts to stammer out an answer. Waverly saves her, cutting in to answer the librarian.

“She’s a researcher too. I met her while I was at a lecture in Calgary and she was looking for somewhere to move to. I mentioned that I was looking for someone to help me out at the Black Badge offices.”

“Right! And now I’m here. I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity, and it’s tiring out that way,” Nicole says, recovering from her earlier stumble.

Mrs. Atkinson finishes checking the books out and bids the women a good day. Nicole slides the books off of the counter and into her arms. The books reach almost up to her chin and she nearly looses her balance a few times on her way to the Jeep.

“So, I’m a researcher now?” Nicole asks, dumping the books into the backseat of the Jeep ungracefully.

“It was all I could think of in the moment,” Waverly answers, shrugging her shoulders.

—

In the following months, Nicole really does become kind of a researcher. She helps Waverly with revenant research. It’s impressive how fast they manage to identify and locate the revenants.

Every single time that the others come back from a mission covered in cuts and bruises, Nicole worries over them. She cleans their injuries and makes sure that they keep hydrated and eat something before they fall into bed.

Wynonna rolls her eyes, grumbling and complaining the entire time. She teases Nicole about being such a mom friend. Everyone knows that Wynonna really loves the attention and affection that Nicole shows her.

Dolls takes Nicole to a gym and shows her how to properly fight, his eyes shining with approval when Nicole manages to pin him down without even breaking a sweat. They sit together on the porch of the Homestead for long hours, sipping coffee together and quietly talking about the Earps and the chaos that surrounds their lovers. (He also uses the connections that he has to basically create Nicole in the eyes of the government. Birth certificate, college degree, and everything in between.)

Doc shows Nicole the horse that he keeps in a barn that he rents from John Peters, one of Purgatory’s farmers. She fawns over the gentle animal, stroking her nose and feeding her treats happily. They go on rides together, simply appreciating the gorgeous meadows and rolling hills that can be found just outside of Purgatory.

Wynonna accidentally gets her drunk off of half a glass of whisky. Nicole turns into a human puppy dog, her eyes unfocused and wide as she babbles on about just how soft and pretty Waverly’s hair is. Wynonna has to drag Nicole out of Shorty’s when she starts to fall asleep on top of the bar.

Waverly and Nicole are practically inseparable at all other times. They read together for hours, discussing every topic that passes through their minds. Wynonna teases them every time she gets a chance, switching between making kissy noises at them and pretending to throw up.

—

One night, dark clouds blanket the sky and the air is heavy and pressing with the oncoming rain. When it rains in Purgatory, it pours. Nothing in this town is ever half-assed, so why should the rain be an exception?

The wind howls, shaking the trees and rattling the windows in their frames. Waverly asks Nicole to check on the tarp covering the woodpile around the side of the house. It was weighed down, but Waverly didn’t want to take the chance of it blowing away so the rain could soak the wood.

Nicole trudges outside, the wind cutting through the thick jacket she has on and chilling her to the bone. She walks around the side of the house, pulling the jacket tighter around herself.

She huffs softly, cursing the fact that she can feel the cold because she's human again. Her only comfort is that soon, she'll be back inside, cuddled up in front of the fire with Waverly.

Nicole can hear the tarp being blown by the wind. Drawing closer, she sees one corner blowing in the wind. She walks over to that side, looking for something to weigh the tarp down with.

Of course, all thoughts of weighing the tarp down fly out the window as soon as she hears a tiny meow. She peeks under the corner of the tarp, seeing a cat huddled up against the wood pile.

Nicole clicks her tongue, holding out a hand to the cat. It takes a minute, but the cat steps out of her hiding place. Nicole smiles, getting a better look at the cat. She’s a tortoiseshell with long, silky looking hair.

And she’s quite obviously pregnant.

—

The cat follows Nicole into the house, winding around her ankles as she opens the door. “Waverly?” She calls out, not seeing her in the living room.

“Just one second!” Waverly calls back. She walks out of the kitchen a moment later, holding two steaming mugs. “How was the tarp?”

“Uh, it’ll be fine. I found something, though,” Nicole says with a sheepish smile. Waverly sets the mugs down on the coffee table before walking over to Nicole, her eyebrows furrowed.

“What’d you fi- oh.” Waverly stares down at the cat, who’s butting her head against Nicole’s legs. “Oh, you... you found a cat?”

“She was hiding,” Nicole starts, reaching down to give the cat a quick pet. “Underneath the tarp, huddled against the woodpile. I-I couldn’t just leave her there, and she’s pregnant, Waverly.”

“Well, I guess we should make her a bed,” Waverly says with a soft sigh.

—

“She’ll be okay, Waves. She knows what to do,” Nicole says, laying a gentle hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. They sit on the floor together, a few feet away from the cat.

“But- but what if something goes wrong?” She asks, chewing at one of her fingernails as she stares at the cat. Nicole reaches out and gently takes Waverly’s hand, lacing their fingers together.

“If something goes wrong then we intervene. It’s instinct, though. I should warn you, it’s not a pretty scene. You may not want to watch.”

“No, I’m... curious,” Waverly responds, looking over to Nicole. Nicole returns her gaze with an affectionate smile.

“You’re always curious. It’s one of things that I like most about you.”

Waverly presses a kiss to Nicole’s cheek, her skin soft and warm. A stray strand of Nicole’s hair brushes against Waverly’s own cheek. She smells like lilacs in the spring, Waverly thinks.

—

The kittens are born with no issues and no need for intervention. Waverly watches with curiosity and pretends that she isn’t just the slightest bit grossed out. Nicole makes sure that the mother cat is comfortable and all four kittens are nursing before she leads Waverly away into their bedroom.

“You know we can’t keep all of the cats,” Waverly says once they’re settled into bed, having gone through their nightly routine.

Nicole nods, staring just past Waverly’s head at the wall. There’s a tinge of sadness in her expression, the slightest downturn of her lips. “I know. They aren’t supposed to be separated from their mother for a while, though.”

“We’ll make sure that they go to good homes, Nic. I promise.”

-

Wynonna says that she will tolerate one cat in the household, but the other four have to go. Nicole is a little bit disappointed, but she gives in eventually. Waverly puts up an ad in the newspaper (which is still the main source of news for the vast majority of Purgatory.)

Nicole makes sure to sit down with everyone who wants one of the cats. She tells Waverly that she can’t let the little animals go to anyone with bad intention and she refuses multiple people because she got a bad feeling from them.

Eventually, though, Nicole is satisfied that four of the cats will be going to good homes. It was hard for her to choose a cat to keep, but she falls in love with one of the kittens. The kitten is a big orange ball of fluff that follows Nicole around the house tirelessly.

The kitten is eventually named Calamity Jane, which proves to be a fitting name. As she grows older, she goes through a phase where she’s determined to cause as much chaos as possible. Wynonna finds thrown up cat food in her boots and Doc’s hat falls victim to Calamity’s claws. Waverly constantly has to deal with the cat laying on top of her research papers. Every time that Waverly tries to move Calamity, she gets clawed at.

Wynonna says that Calamity Jane is probably a revenant in cat form, threatening to double check with Peacemaker every time Calamity attacks her ankles.

(They break the curse just after Calamity’s first birthday. Calamity also calms down and stops being such a nuisance, but Wynonna refuses to trust the cat.)

-

Nicole doesn’t take time to reflect on the past very often. She wants to live her life in the present, appreciating the second chance that she’s been given. After they break the curse, the sheriff hires her to work in dispatch. Waverly takes a job as a history professor at Purgatory community college. She teaches a few classes on dead languages at an online college as well.

Nicole and Waverly move out of the homestead once the curse is broken. They move into a little house in town, complete with a garden that Nicole spends hours in and a home office that Waverly decorates with pictures of their family.

Sometimes Nicole watches Waverly sway along to music while she makes lunch, calling up memories of when they first met. Sometimes Nicole is convinced that heaven could never compare to life in Purgatory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who took the time to read this. It really does mean the world. Your comments and kudos also mean the world, so feel free to leave some ;))

**Author's Note:**

> So if you got through this absolute mess of a fic I applaud you. Please leave comments, kudos, anything really. It means a lot and it lets me know if you want more of this weirdness. There'll probably be more of this weirdness whether you like it or not. You've been warned. Anyway pls comment I thrive on positive reinforcement and I don't have any friends to give me any so I'm forced to turn to the comment section on my fanfictions. Help (BTW, title is from Angels by the XX. give it a listen)


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